Chaos Saga
by Capricornkitty1975
Summary: What happens when Yugi, Alpha of a prowl (pack) of wereleopards, has to turn to his darkest rival Yami, the Master of the Domino, for help? It is my own world and I bring in characters (or have OCs)I love &/or respect to populate it. Also, the pairings, personalities, etc of the characters are up to me. :) In the end, this is primarily a puzzle & puppyshipping story.
1. Dark Chaos

Chapter 1: The Prowl

" Ya know, I always thought it kinda stupid they we're called a prowl." Joey glanced over at his best bud Yugi, who was staring at something intently.

"I mean, yeah, we prowl, but how come we gotta be called that?"

Still no response...

"Uh, Yug...what are you doing?" Joey snapped his fingers in front of Yugi's large amethyst eyes.

Yugi jumped. "Joey! I was this close to figuring out what Pegasus's next move was!" He shook his head angrily, which made his tri colored hair shake angrily, too.

Joey looked confused. "Yug, Pegasus has gotta be at least a mile away under that streetlight...I know we got good hearing and all, but still..."

Yugi's eyes were trained on the tall, slim man standing in the pool of light. His white hair may have covered half his face, but his body posture told so much. The tense standing, the swiveling of his head, the incessant tapping of his fingers on that briefcase...

"Joey, I know you are bored. I did not ask you to come. I have to find out who Pegasus is working with. Our prowl is being hunted, and my guess is Pegasus has something to do with it." Yugi sighed, adjusting his legs. He looked at his friend. Joey's blond hair hung low in his eyes, but there was still a spark of anger flaring.

"Yug, ya really tink Peg is behind our friends going missing?" Joey's body started to shake with anger.

"I don't know for sure, but it seems all signs lead back to him."

"Yug, ya gotta tell me dis stu ...how can I be your enforcer if I don't know wha's going on?"

Yugi sighed. Joey was right, but Yugi found it hard to open up. If that blood sucking vampire ever got ahold of Joey, Yugi did not think Joey could keep his secrets. Hell, Yugi probably couldn't either, but at least then Yugi was not putting his best friend in danger.

"JOEY!" Yugi grabbed Joey right before an arrow whizzed into the tree where his head was. Both men looked at each other and turned to sprint into the woods, their bodies twisting, bones snapping and rearranging until no men remained, only 2 large panthers. One, the larger of the two, had honey colored fur. The smaller of the two was jet black, but his ametyhst eyes were scanning in front and to the side, searching for danger.

They did not see the lanky brown haired man with the cobalt eyes take the briefcase from Pegasus and get into the limousine...

"Yami, tell me why again I had to be your errand boy for Pegasus?" Seto Kaiba glared as he set a briefcase on the the strongest, most powerful vampire of the city's desk. Yami's crimson eyes showed nothing as his thin fingers gripped the case.

Chapter 2: The Master

Seto eyed Yami in annoyance. Five minutes had went by and Yami had said nothing, staring at the objects in the briefcase.

Seto huffed and came closer to Yami, starting to grab the items. Yami snatched them, lightning fast, just milimeters from Seto's fingers. Seto raised an eyebrow. Yami looked at him. "My affairs with Pegasus are just that, mine." Yami said in a rich baritone.

Be that as it may, I am not anyone's errand boy." Seto clipped.

"Really?" Yami chuckled, tapping the case with an eyebrow raised.

"Suit yourself." Seto turned on his heel in disgust and left. Yami chuckled even more, staring at the small stack of cards that might...just might...turn the tide against those pesky, rebellious...well, _rebels_. After all, _he_ was Master of the City. _His_ word was law. Not theirs. He had kept the peace for millennia...he was not going to stop now.

He was supposed to be in control of all supernatural beings in his area. Sure, he controlled the werewolves, but there were more...so many more...wereanimals than wolves. Yami always laughed at the popular movies that depicted werewolves as the only shapeshifters. Seriously? Was Hollywood that unimaginative that they could not think up wereleopards, werebears, and werelions, (just to name a few) on their own? Not to mention all the spellcasters and fairies that flittered about.

Yami's ears perked up. "Three...two...one..." and he smiled a self satisfied smile as Seto barged back in.

"Are you gonna tell me what those damn things are for?" Seto asked in annoyance, staring at Yami.

Yami laughed agin. "Fine, dear cousin, let me show you what Pegasus traded for protection of his people." Setting out the cards, Seto looked unimpressed. "Duel Monster cards? Really? You trade our protection for a few measley cards?"

"Oh, Seto...these are not mere cards..."

The tone of Yami's voice sent cold chills down Seto's spine. Seto smiled a cold, calculating smile. "Do tell more..."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Yug, ya can't!" Joey pleaded, anger and...was that fear?... in Joey's eyes.

"What do you expect me to do Joey? Sit back and watch my prowl be exterminated? I am going and having an audience with Yami. I am sure we can work out some sort of truce." Yugi sighed, bags under his eyes.

"Bullshit!" Joey exploded. "You know as well as me that... that...bloodsucker won't make any deal that doesn't have the advantages all for himself!" Joey's face was red with rage.

"Joey," Yugi said calmly. "I am Alpha, and this is my decision. You stay here and protect the prowl. I will communicate with you telepathically of the decision. I am tired, Joey." Yugi sighed, the weight of the world clung to his shoulders. "And I want what is best for the prowl." And, with that, Yugi vanished into the night.

Chapter 3: The Scent

What...is that?" Yami's eyes narrowed as his nose picked up that... _scent_. It was intoxicating, really. And...a smell he had not smelled in a long, long time.

"What is what?" Seto asked, peering at Yami coolly.

"Seto, you do not smell that?" Yami said in disbelief as he stood, and flicked opened heavy, blood red drapes that hung behind his chair. His crimson eyes took in the scene before him as he searched out the scent.

"Obviously, no." Seto replied drily, taking in the scene below. From his vantage point on the second floor, which is where Yami's office was, Seto could see 1 of the 3 bars in the nightclub that he and Yami co-owned. It was a typical night...busy. The club below was reminiscent of ancient Eqypt, with booths and seats made of stone with elaborate cushions padding the seating surface, hieroglyphics adorning the walls, and all the sta in ancient tunics. The bar was busy with drinks being sold by scantily clad men and women out of the Sphinx's mouth...Seto rolled his eyes at that one. Seto also noticed that many of the...private booths...were full, for those who wished for a different kind of drink...but only from the willing.

Yami's eyes scanned over the vampires, werewolves, fairies, and sorcerers, all dancing, drinking, and talking...searching until his eyes locked onto what he was searching for. There, the boy who was wearing black leather pants, black boots, and had tricolor hair similar to Yami's own. There was the source of the scent. That mixture of innocence, lilacs, and...cat?! Yami's eyes narrowed as he watched the boy meet with resistance at the stairwell. "It seems we have a new were here, dear cousin...and my guess is he is a leopard."

"That explains the stench" Seto huffed.

 _Master...there is a Yugi, Alpha of the Domino Prowl, here to see you._ Honda thought to his master Yami,blocking the entrance to the stairwell to the second floor.

"It seems the feline wishes to speak to me." Yami remarked to Seto. "I wonder what ever for?"

Seto shrugged and left, his black trench coat billowing out behind him.

 _Send him up Honda._ Yami sat in his chair, fingers steepled, waiting...

"Master will see you now. First door on the left." Honda glared at Yugi.

Yugi looked back, confused. "How do you know that? You didn't ask him..." Yugi was not going to walk into a trap. It was obvious that this guy did not like him.

"I did so...with my mind" he said, tapping his temple and looking at Yugi like Yugi was some sort of idiot.

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "You aren't a were, you are human, so..."

"So I am a human servant and we get those perks, jackass!" Honda huffed, turning red in the face as he interrupted Yugi, pulling Yugi up to him by an arm and shoving him towards the stairs.

Yugi had heard of human servants...humans who were basically trading blood for protection and...whatever else. Let a vamp drink from you, do some hokey ritual, then, BAM! You are telepathucally linked to your master, he can drink from you when he likes, among other things...

Honda shoved Yugi up the stairs. "He is waiting...don't keep him waiting." Yugi sighed. He walked up the stairs and entered the first door.

There, sitting behind the desk, was the most gorgeous being Yugi had ever seen...

Chapter 4: The Deal

Yami stared at those amethyst pools. The scent was overpowering. Yami felt the bloodlust creep up (along with something else), setting fire to his veins. Thankfully, he was several millenia old, so he had learned to control The Thirst.

The boy...Yugi...stood just inside the threshhold of the door, staring at Yami. Yami nodded slightly in a 'come hither' motion. Yugi stepped in 3 more steps and stopped.

Yami sighed. "What is it you want an audience with me for?"

Yugi cleared his throat. "I know you are the most powerful being in this city, and nothing happens without your approval." Yugi began. Inwardly, Yami smirked. It's good that notion pervades...even though it wasn't the absolute truth. Yes, were listened to him, as did vampires. The fey and spellcasters though...they were another story. Yami grimaced slightly at that thought.

The grimace seemed to spur Yugi on. " I want protection for my prowl. I know nothing comes without a price, so I am here to negotiate."

Yami's eyes opened slightly. "Negotiate?" he scoffed. "What could you possibly have that I would consider as trade for covering your pack..."

"Prowl..." Yugi growled. "We aren't dogs."

"with my protection?" Yami went on, but was silently pleased someone besides Seto was willing to stand up to him instead of cowering and snivelling or being in full out rebellion.

"Yes, you are the Master of the City" Yugi stated, bristling from the prior insulting dog comment and the utter lack of care this man had for living beings. "But, you crave loyalty and order. If you promise protection for my **prowl** " he could not help but put some inflection on the word, "I can promise their help if needed."

"I have protection" Yami said dismissively, and looked down at the laptop on his desk, powering it on.

After a minute of silence, when noone spoke, blue light bathed Yami's face, and Yami could detect no movement, meaning Yugi was not leaving, he looked up.

"Fine, you can have me." Yugi said, not lowering his eyes, defiant.

At this, Yami laughed, the silky tone rolling down Yugi's back. Yugi shook it off. Yami's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I am small. I am delicate looking. But I am Alpha for a reason. Your mind tricks, your spells, the fey charms, the spellcaster scrolls...they do not aftect me." Yugi straightened, looking proud. "My mother was were, my father a fey spellcaster. I was born immune, and will stay that way. You cannot even read my mind without my allowing you to." Yugi chuckled as he felt Yami try and fail. Yami's scowl deepened.

Yami raised his eyes. Never is he at a disadvantage in a negotiation, and he is not about to start now. He sat silent for several minutes, looking Yugi over, mulling the options in his mind.

"Fine. I will cover your... _prowl..._ with protection. However, not only will I have you," at this Yami stood and gracefully walked over, inches from Yugi. "I will be allowed to drink from you." His crimson eyes narrowing, watching to see how this unfolded.

Yugi stood proud, not missing a beat. "Only from wrist. Never anywhere else."

"It looks as though we have a deal." Yami stated, holding out a hand to seal the deal with a handshake.

"Deal." Yugi shook back, never breaking eye contact with Yami.

Yami went to his desk. "How many are there of you?" He pulled out an ornate wooden box.

"Thirty."

Yami held out a necklace with the Egyptian Eye charm on it. "Hand this to each member. Tell them to hold it to their forehead, like this. "At that, he held the charm to Yugi's forehead, the leather cord around each side of Yugi's head like an adornment. There was a flash, a sharp sting like a bee, then normalness.

Yugi looked at Yami. "W..what did you just do?" Damn stutter. Inwardly, Yugi groaned.

"This is my mark of protection. If you are in danger it will glow, signalling that if you are harmed, the harmer will answer to me."

Yugi took the necklace. "Now, go to your prowl. You will report here each night at dusk, and be my personal servant. At dawn, you are free to leave. Think of it as a night job. Bring the necklace back tomorrow night." Yami finished as he went and sat back down.

"But..." Yugi started.

"But what? You said you were mine, this is how I interpreted that. If you are rethinking the deal, I wouldn't." Yami's eyes glowed slightly. "My word is my bond, and my handshake an unbreakable seal of the deal."

Yugi nodded, slowly. As he turned to leave, his only thought was, "What have I just gotten myself into?"

Chapter 5: The Codicil

"Ya did WHAT?" Joey screamed. If this was a cartoon and not real life, Yugi would have expected steam to come out of Joey's ears.

This was the third time in one 24 hour period that he had this same conversation with this same person. Honestly, it was starting to get old.

"Joey, just stop. Alphas have to do what is best for their members, not themselves." He sighed as he grabbed his belt and put it on, looking nervously out the window. It was almost dusk, and about an hour until it was time to start his new "job".

"Nuh-uh, no way are you going to be a solo cup for Master Dracula Red Eyes!" Joey crossed his arms, looking down at Yugi, eyes sparking with rage.

"The deal is done. There is no going back now." Yugi snapped. Thankfully they were in Yugi's bedroom, and the rest of the prowl downstairs. He did not need his own listening to Joey rant and rave. Yugi glowered at Joey, determination and leadership in his eyes.

"Fine. Fine!" Joey slapped his arms at his sides in exasperation. "Den le's go." Joey opened the door and started out.

"What in the name of all that is furry are you talking about?" Yugi asked as he stepped out of the door and down the staircase.

"I feel like a night out, so I am goin' to da club too!" Joey smiled triumphantly.

Yugi's eyes narrowed in concern and anger. "No. I forbid it. You need to stay here."

"Well, Yug, ya can't stop me from going out. Duke and Malik are fine to watch tonight. I need a night off, if I do say so m'self." And with that, Joey walked out and vanished into the woods. Yugi could have swore he heard fabric ripping. He sighed again. When would Joey learn to take off his clothes before he transformed?

"Dick." Yugi muttered under his breath. He knew what he had done by agreeing to Yami's deal. He knew, too, that Yami knew the humiliation that came from being the drink of a vampire. He is sure that is part of the reason Yami had made that a condition. Well, that and were blood was sweeter than human blood, almost an aphrodesiac. Though, Yami did not know what wereleopard blood was supposed to taste like, since there was no recorded vampire attacks on a wereleopard. And there is _no way_ a wereleopard would volunteer to be the life vein of bloodsucker.

Yugi sighed as he got on his motorcycle. He drove around for a bit, just taking in the sights of Domino City. He always liked this time of night. Finally, he turned and drove to club, aptly named The Pyramid. _What is it with this_ _guy and Egypt?_ Yugi thought as he parked his bike in an employee area, and walked up, ready to knock. Instead,the door was opened by the guy from last night...Honda. He threw a bag of trash in the dumpster right outside the door.

"You know where to go." he said as he turned, walking back in, his brown hair coming to a point above his forehead and walking down the stairs, his black teeshirt and black jeans blending into the darkness.

Yugi sighed. Nice warm welcome. He walked...no, trudged, up the stairs. He stopped at the same familiar door, and knocked.

"Come in." that silky baritone replied. Yugi frowned. There was...agitation...coming from the other side of the door. One of the "perks" of being a were...well, wereleopard at least... was the ability to sense emotions from other creatures. Usually not slight emotions, but medium to strong...oh yea, no problem.

"Shit." was all Yugi could say as he saw the scene in front of him.

Yami was behind his desk, looking perplexed at a tall man standing to Yugi's left (Yami's right) with short brown hair that fell over his forehead, cobalt blue eyes peeking from underneath. A white trenchcoat flared arpund him, and in his hand was a...leash?

Yugi's eyes narrowed in anger as he followed the leash to the collar and there, in the collar, sat Joey, barefoot, bare chested, in blue jeans.

Yami sighed. "Yugi, meet my cousin and co-owner of The Pyramid, Seto Kaiba. Seto..."

Seto interrupted. "I believe you already know my mutt." He yanked on the leash slightly.

"I ain't no dog!" Joey's eyes blazed with anger, before whimpering slightly at the yank.

"What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On. Here?" Yugi asked through clenched teeth, his anger flaring.

Seto smirked. "Joey, is it? Yes, well Joey came and made a counter offer. He offered himself as my pet if only Yami would not drink from you. All other parts of the bargain between you and Yami are still in full force, of course."

"Joey!" Yugi's eyes widened in horror. "You cant!"

 _No, Yug, you can't. You can't disgrace yo'self by becoming a cup for these bloodsuckers. Our prowl is prouder, stronger den dat. Ours is de only one still independent, not living under some else's control. Our leader, YOU, has to be above us all. I couldn't break your whole deal, but I could at least keep his teeth off ya. Bud, the prowl is my family too, and I won't let us fall in disgrace._

Yugi glared at Yami. "This wasn't part of the deal!"

Yami calmly looked at Yugi. "Correct. This is a deal between Seto and Joey...basically like a codicil to our agreement. I just took some consideration in the arrangement. Now, follow me. I have a meeting with some vampires from another city." And with that, Yami turned, his black cape whipping behind him. Yugi glowering, but following, after one final look back at Joey.

Chapter 6: The Mutt

"Come on, puppy." Seto grinned when Joey jerked against the leash.

"I am NOT your damn dog!" Joey growled, standing

"Actually, you are." Seto's cold blue eyes took in Joey's stance, the agitation just boiling o of the blond man.

"Look, I may be your...pet" he spat the word, "but I. Am. Not. A. Dog." He seemed to stand up a little more proud with every statement. "I am the son of The Enforcer of Wereleopards and by his death I AM The Enforcer." His eyes flashed, his head held high.

"Yea, whatever." Seto clipped, turning his back and dragging the leash behind him, effectively pulling Joey off his feet and onto all fours.

At that, Joey could hold back no longer. Snapping of bones, twisting of flesh, hair sprouting, jeans ripping...now, in Seto's leash was a large, blond, angry leopard, who let out a loud roar.

Seto merely turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Done?"

Joey stretched his legs and, leaping with all his might on top of Seto, aimed for Seto's neck.

"Missed me." Seto laughed, standing a foot from where he did before.

Joey growled and lunged again, missing again. "Look, Mutt, I am faster than you, so give it up." Seto shook his head and started walking farther down the hall, Joey in tow. Joey snarled and growled the whole way down the hall. At the largest door, Seto jerked Joey up like he was but a rag, so the two were eye to eye.

"Listen," Seto hissed. "Stop this right now, or I _will_ show you who is dominant, and it won't be by a bite to the ear." Joey's eyes grew wide, and then slitted down. Joey did not scare easily. Sadly, he did not take hints easily, either. At the threat Joey lunged again. In the blink of an eye Seto had Joey pinned to the wall by his neck, squeezing. Joey's body quickly convulsed in fear and lack of oxygen.

"Let. Me. Go." Joey squeaked out, his head starting to go limp, his body changing back into human form as his hands thrashed wildly at Seto's grip, which was like concrete.

Seto dropped Joey into a naked heap, the leash the only thing still on Joey. "Now, will you obey?" Seto asked, eyeing Joey. Joey looked up, eyeing Seto warily. Joey seemed to be trying to speak. _Shit._ Joey seemed to be hurt. _Damn._ Out of habit, Seto leaned in even though he had great hearing. He could hear clearly whispers in the club below thought to be drowned out by the music. Damn humanity never quite leaves... "What?" he asked, eyeing Joey with concern.

"Kiss my ass." Joey said right as he spit in Seto's face. Rage flared across Seto's normally composed face. He grabbed Joey up, slamming him against the wall, baring the tender flesh of Joey's neck. "You want to degradate someone? Fine. Here is degradation." Seto growled dangerously as he leaned in and sunk his fangs into Joey's neck.

Joey tried to push away, as Seto pulled him in closer, drinking the lifeblood from Joey. Oh, how it hur...a moan escaped Joey's lips as his hands went to Seto's hair, pulling him closer. This didn't hurt...it sent white hot fire down Joey's extremities. The feeling, the pleasure was immeasurable. It felt like a drug was running through his system. He felt tension...and then he slid down the wall as Seto released Joey. He looked up at Seto, confused. "I thought it was supposed ta hurt?" he mumbled, dazed and utterly lost about what just happened.

Seto stared back, cheeks flushed, eyes dark with...some emotion... Joey couldn't quite place. "It was supposed to hurt."

And with that, Seto vanished down the hall.

Chapter 7: The Meeting

Yami smiled slightly, steepling his fingers together in front of his face, elbows resting on the obsidian tabletop. The meeting was going well. The Vampire Lords were in no mood or position to oppose him. The Districts were in order, revenue was good; they were mastering their own districts well. And, he chuckled, he had his very own kitty cat. He smirked as his eyes darted over to Yugi, who was standing behind him and off to the right, staring out the floor to ceiling plate glass window at the city below.

"Master," one female vampire began, looking at Yami. Yami's eyes slid over to her, his head incling ever so slightly, a signal of permission to speak.

"There have been...reports...of Bakura's order attacking multiple districts. But, the more troubling aspect..." the tall vampire with long blond hair stopped, unsure of how to proceed.

"Yes, Mai? Continue." Yami got an uneasy feeling at this.

"He..he is taking prisoners. We don't know why, but we know that he has killed some, and taken some prisoner."

Yami tensed at this, ever so slightly. He also noticed that Yugi was now listening intently, though he tried to act like he wasn't. Bakura had been a thorn in Yami's side up until the Great Battle, when Yami defeated Bakura and became Master. Bakura had disappeared, licking his wounds, but Yami knew he would come back again. The problem with Bakura was that he was devious, ruthless, and devoid of any passion except that of gaining power for himself.

Yami sighed, eyes closing. "Are there any patterns to these killings and kidnappings?"

"No, Sire."

"I will take care of this. We will meet in two weeks. Report any more occurrences or new information to me." The 10 other vampire lords nodded and left, chattering among themselves. Only 1 was le sitting, looking at Yami.

"Yes, Mai?" Yami stated without opening his eyes.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your new friend?" Mai smiled and stood, walking over to Yugi. Yugi had to physically refrain from flinching as she reached out to touch his hair. Yugi's eyes went wide as he saw Yami's hand on her wrist, inches from his hair...hell, inches from _him_ in a split second.

"Do. Not. Touch. My. Property." Yami's eyes flared. Mai chuckled. "My, my...is that any way to treat your oldest Turned?"

Yugi looked on with confusion tinged with anger. He was nobody's property. Mai noticed and smirked. "Aw, did your lover not tell you we are old friends? That he sired me before anyone, even the great Seto?"

"I am not his lover. I have more..." But neither Mai nor Yami ever got to find out what more Yugi had as the door flew open. Seto stood in the doorway.

Yami raised an eyebrow. "Making grand appearances much?" he asked with a smirk.

"You. Out." Seto pointed at Mai, who raised an eyebrow in irritation.

Sensing that this train was about to crash in a fiery hell if not stopped, Yami touched Mai's wrist and nodded at the door. Mai bowed her head and quickly left, but not before quipping as she left..."Always love the chats Seto."

Seto ignored her and stared at Yami. "We have a situation."

Yami sat down, draping one leg over his chair. "And that is?" he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, thoughts wandering back to Bakura.

"Kisara is back."

Chapter 8: The Declaration

Yugi noticed that Yami's pale face paled even further, if that was possible. _That_ peaked Yugi's interest.

"Seto, that is impossible. You know that. No amount of magic, light or dark, can bring her back to you." Yami said tiredly, pity on his face.

"I just saw her. I just felt her. Her blood tastes just as sweet as the day I tried to save her." Seto's eyes closed at the thought, his tongue making one quick swipe on his bottom lip, as if still tasting the blood he spoke of.

"Seto! Stop this insanity! Kisara is dead, she was destroyed by Dartz a millenia ago!" Yami's eyes flamed in anger and pity at his cousin as his baritone voice boomed.

Seto eyed Yami coldly. "Yes. I know her body was destroyed. I am not a fool. However, her soul lives on, in another."

 _Oh, boy...this Seto guy is mental for sure!_ Yugi thought, watching the scene from his spot by the window,forgotten.

"Seto..." Yami's eyes held nothing but sadness. "You and I both know vampires have no soul. Since we have no soul, our soul cannot be born again in someone else." Yami held out a hand, placing it on Seto's shoulder. "Cousin, I know you loved her, but she is..."

"She is my soulmate, and I have found her again. Everything I have been through, everything I have done, becoming a vampire to find her again, it has finally been rewarded. I will not lose my mate again!" Seto's eyes pierced the night with a determination Yugi had seen in but a few, his voice strong and determined.

Yami sighed, shoulders slumping. "Seto, even if her soul is back, which I find hard to believe, how will you get this new girl to even begin to believe what you are telling me? I mean, does she know she is your lover from another century? And how do you know that she is the same Kisara you knew? Growing up in a different time period, with different family dynamics and life experiences will make her a different person. How do you _know_ this is your soulmate Kisara and that you will love her as much as you did, and that she will love you back?"

Seto smiled haughtily. "When you have found your soulmate, you will be able to answer those questions. I am not prone to flights of fancy, but this...this I know is true."

"How?" Yami persisted.

Seto smiled and sighed, that smug, arrogant smile that has made Yami want to hit him so many times over the centuries.

"Because, I felt the hole in my soul that was created when she left fill, I saw her eyes, I tasted her blood and I felt her spirit when I drank from Joey Wheeler."

Chapter 9: The Disobedient Servant

Seto was laying flat on his back. Yugi's claws at his throat, Yugi's mouth inches from Seto's face. Guttural snarls were emanating from Yugi. Seto's eyes were wide, staring up at amethyst leopard eyes. He felt all of Yugi's weight on top of him in the form of a very pissed off black leopard. Yugi's tail was flicking angrily back and forth. All Seto could keep thinking was, "How the hell did he get the jump on me?"

CRASH! Just as suddenly, Seto was staring at the ceiling, the weight on his body gone. He put his hand to his neck and felt a couple drops of blood start to slide down his neck as he sat up. Looking around, he saw a glass end table shattered and Yami straddling the leopard, pinning him in place on the ground. Just then, the door shattered open and a large blond leopard ran in, leaping for Yami. Seto easily reached out and grabbed the blond around the neck, pulling him down, pinning him to the floor.

"Going somewhere, Mutt?" Joey snarled at Seto in reply. Seto merely laughed and drug Joey from the meeting room into the room across the hall, kicking the door shut behind him.

"What. Was. That?" Yami asked, crimson eyes flaring with anger. Yugi slowed his breathing, calming his anger. His body slowly started changing back, his face resuming human form.

"This has nothing to do with you. That bastard broke his word. Nobody feeds o of my prowl, no one!" Yugi spat in anger, struggling to get out of Yami's concrete grip.

"Listen to me, _Little One_. Do. Not. Threaten. Mine." He squeezed just a bit, to show who was in control. Yami's eyes got dark with anger. "If Seto bit your friend, there was a reason behind it."

"You bastards can't just bite whoever you want!" Yugi stopped struggling and stared at Yami, amethyst eyes going almost black with rage. "You know as well as I that a bite on a neck from a vampire signifies you are their whore, to be used unless you bloodless freaks mark them as your mate. Joey is not a whore, but of noble lineage. His reputation will be avenged!" Yugi spat. At that last word, an explosion of power flew from Yugi's body, sending Yami flying backwards with a sickening thump into the wall.

Yugi got up and sighed angrily, looking at his naked self and ripped clothes. "I really need tear away clothing." he sighed again. He looked over at Yami, who had stood up and was eyeing him dangerously.

"You want my protection? I _recommend_ " he sneered "to not try any of this bullshit again. Or I will pull my offer of protection." He spat some blood on the floor, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Now...you have spilled blood of mine, I expect a replacement."

"Get it from that whore...Honda, is it?" Yugi growled. "He likes your fangs all over him." Yugi spat out disgustedly, turning from Yami and heading to rhe door.

Yami suddenly appeared in front of Yugi in the doorway and laughed, smirking at Yugi. "You need to be careful, _Little One_ , I do not allow myself to be talked to in such a manner. We have a...business...relationship. So, in asense, we are allies. Do not make me an enemy. Now, come with me. Your shift is not over with yet." He turned on his heel and walked off, leaving Yugi with no choice but to follow Yami. Buck ass naked, as Joey would call it. Yugi smiled thinking of his friend, and then frowned.

"Joey, can you hear me?" Yugi thought, reaching out to his friend.

"Yea, Yug, I'm 'kay."

"Goos, I am glad about that. We will talk more at home. I need..." but Joey never got to find out what Yugi needed, as Yugi became acutely aware that many men and women were staring at him hungrily because Yami had walked him out to the busy dance club floor. "You will feed me, one way or the other." Yugi looked confused, as Yami sat down in a cushioned chair near a stage. "Now, Yugi...dance for me."

Chapter 10: The Dance

 _ **JUST A REMINDER, I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH, ANY ART, OR ANY SONG LYRICS. I DO OWN THE PLOT, PLEASE DO NOT STEAL.**_

Yugi looked at Yami like he grew two heads. "What the hell? First, I am naked. Second, this music is insane and I cannot dance to this techno dubstep beat. Third, I am naked. Fourth, these people want to eat me. Fifth, I am naked. Sixth, this does not 'feed' you. And seventh, _I am naked!_ "

Yami merely smiled and snapped his fingers. The whole club went silent. "Yes, I will change it, yes, only some, yes, it does, and yes."

"Those weren't questions!" Yugi yelled, as the music changed. The new song started and Yugi just let out a huge sigh and shook his head as knowledge of the song came over him. "You have got to be fucking kidding me." He looked at Yami, who nodded 'no' in response to his question, ever so slightly. Yugi growled and closed his eyes. This personal servant stu sucked. Yugi started moving in time to the music.

 _You let me violate you_

 _You let me desecrate you_

 _You let me penetrate you_

 _You let me complicate you_

 _Help me_

"Damn Nine Inch Nails. 'Closer'...really?" Yugi growled again.

 _I broke apart my insides_

 _Help me_

 _I've got no soul to sell_

 _Help me_

 _The only thing that works for me_

 _Help me get away from myself_

Yugi always liked this song. He started getting lost in the music.

 _I want to fuck you like an animal_

 _I want to feel you from the inside_

 _I want to fuck you like an animal_

 _My whole existence is flawed_

 _You get me closer to god_

Yugi moved his whole body to the music. Being a were made his senses more primal, and consequently more carnal, and with his eyes closed, he could think of whatever he wanted. He just wanted this damn dance over with. Why the hell was Yami doing this? He did like the music though. This was what Yugi called fuck music...dirty, in your face, gritty let's fuck music. Thinking of that got Yugi to thinking on some more...pleasurable...experiences in his life...

 _You can have my isolation_

 _You can have the hate that it brings_

 _You can have my absence of faith_

 _You can have my everything_

 _Help me_

 _Tear down my reason_

 _Help me_

 _It's your sex I can smell_

 _Help me_

Shit. Yugi could smell the sex around him. He slid his eyes open, and gasped. Fuck. He had forgotten that the fey from his parentage made him an amplifier if he did not guard himself. Any strong emotion he felt he could amplify outwards to make others feel. Everyone was dancing, or it should be said, dryhumping, each other. The room was infused with sex. As his eyes were closing, he locked eyes with Yami. Yami was sitting as before, his face slightly flushed, watching nothing but Yugi. For reasons Yugi could not even understand, he started moving even more slowly and sensuously, watching Yami. His hands running down his chest, down to his waist, stopping just below his navel and sliding to his outer hips, then down his legs as far as his arms would allow.

 _You make me perfect_

 _Help me become somebody else_

At this, Yugi crooked a finger at Yami, beckoning him to come to him. Yami unfolded himself and came up to Yugi, standing right in front of him.

 _I want to fuck you like an animal_

Yugi put a hand out, running his fingers down Yami's chest.

 _I want to feel you from the inside_

Yugi licked his lips and ran his knuckles over the bulge developing in Yami's pants.

 _I want to fuck you like an animal_

Yugi leaned over and ran his tongue over Yami's lips. Yami could do nothing but stare at him, in exquisite agony at the sensations he was feeling.

 _My whole existence is flawed_

 _You get me closer to god_

Yugi took Yami's lip in his, then bit down on Yami's lip, sucking it and then letting it slide out of his mouth slowly.

 _Through every forest above the trees_

 _Within my stomach scraped off my knees_

Yugi went down to his knees, hands on Yami's legs, looking up.

 _I drink the honey inside your hive_

 _You are the reason I stay alive_

Yugi slowly stood, running his face up, nose touching leathered crotch, waist, chest, chin, until he was nose to nose with Yami, fingers trailing as well where they could reach on the vampire.

The music stopped. Yami was breathing shallowly, flushed face. Yugi looked at Yami.

"Ok, dance done. I am going to get more clothes." And Yugi turned and walked off the stage towards the stairwell, stepping over bodies in various stages of...activities. Honda was no where to be seen, so Yugi ascended the steps, looking for the backpack he brought with his spare change of clothes.

Chapter 11: Family History

The rest of the night went fairly quickly. Yugi followed Yami around, and Yami pretty much ignored Yugi.

At dawn, Yami turned to Yugi. "Dismissed. Be back tomorrow, same time. You will have Mondays off." And with that, Yami turned and disappeared down a staircase.

Yugi sighed, shaking his head. He went, grabbed his backpack, got on his bike, and drove o back home.

When he walked in the home, most of the leopards were asleep...except Joey, who was sitting up, drinking coffee. Yugi quickly went to him, looking at both sides of his neck, but no marks were seen. Yugi's eyes went wide.

"Goos, you okay?" Yugi asked with concern. Joey looked up and smiled tiredly at his friend. "Ya haven't used dat nickname in awhile, now twice in one night? Ya must be worried. I am okay, Yug." He looked back in the mug as if he expected it to solve all his problems.

Yugi sat next to his friend, and put a hand on his arm. He remebered how the nickname stuck. He and Joey had been playing by the creek with some other friends. Someone decided to play a game of duck, duck, goose. However, Yugi, being younger, had never heard of that game and when he asked Joey what they were playing, he thought Joey had said "duck, duck, goos" as in, duck or get goo thrown at you.

Joey got up and started going around the circle. As soon as he hit Yugi and yelled "goose!", Yugi ducked, turned and threw some of that neon goo from a container on Joey. Joey looked shocked, then laughed, asking Yugi what was he doing? After Yugi explained, everyone thought it was funny...well, until the next day.

The problem was the goo was neon green. Joey was a towheaded child, so...it kinda stained his hair. Green. For 2 months. He went by Goo Boy for a while, then eventually it got shortened to Goos.

"I am really confused, Yug." Joey said quietly, snapping Yugi out of his walk down memory lane. Yugi just looked at him.

"You know I'm here anytime you wanna talk." Yugi offered helpfully.

Joey went on like he did not even hear Yugi. "Dat Seto...he bit me, to degrade me...but," Joey's troubled eyes looked up, meeting Yugi's concerned amethyst ones. "I liked it...alot. I must be pretty messed up, huh?" Joey gave a humorless laugh. "How can I like something that makes me less of a person...that just makes me food? How can I lo...like a person who does that?" He asked with a tortured voice.

Yugi noticed the slip, and decided to address it, because he didn't have an answer to Joey's other questions. "I don't know, Joey. We live in a really messed up world. Nothing is "normal" like it was in the books we read in school. There are vampires, weres, fey, magic...all that just came public in the last 15 years...What I am saying is, with all this weird stuff in the world, why can't there be love at first sight?"

Joey's eyes widened. "I didn't say I loved da guy!"

Yugi looked at Joey, raising an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Joey looked down. Sighing deeply, he frowned into the now cold coffee. "He is outta my league, Yug. I am just a mutt...he ain't never gonna look at me like dat. Shit, I tink I'm goin nuts." He stood, rubbing his face.

Yugi weighed the options. Finally, he blurted out, as Joey was heading out of the room..."He loves you. He said you are his soulmate reincarnated. He said now that he found you, he wouldn't lose you again." He left out the part about Joey being a girl before. Guy had 99 problems, he didn't need another one.

Joey turned and looked at Yugi slowly. "Yug, how could ya know dat? Don't make stuff up to make me feel better. "

"I'm not!" Yugi huffed. "Seto came barging in and started blathering all this to Yami like I wasn't even in the room."

A smile slowly started to spread over Joey's face as he realized Yugi was telling the truth. "G'nite, Yug." He said over his shoulder still smiling. Just then Serenity, Joey's younger sister came down the steps. "Just getting in from a late night?" she giggled.

He smirked. "Ya could kinda say dat." He smiled and tousled her bedhead.

"Who is the lucky girl, do I know her?" Serenity smiled, standing almost on tiptoe. Joey and Serenity were very close. Joey was a great guy and she was always worried about him being alone.

"More like who is the lucky guy." Yugi winked at Serenity. Serenity smiled even bigger. Joey just shook his head and went up the stairs. Serenity smiled and came into the kitchen, grabbing a Pop Tart.

"Well now we can girl talk about how cute guys' butts are." She giggled. "I shoulda known I would have to compete with him. I always do. Now we are picking out of the same sex to date!" She grinned picking up the other Pop Tart and heading out. "Did you know my mom thought he was going to be a girl when he was born?" At Yugi's head shake she giggled. "Yea, she even had a name picked out for him, pink clothes, everything. They were scrambling last minute to pick out a different name for him. Dad refused to let mom use the name she had picked out once Joey popped out. He did let Joey wear pink til he grew out of the clothes they had though. I dunno, I think Kisara is a pretty name for a boy or a girl." And with that, she was gone, oblivious and leaving an open mouthed Yugi in her wake.

Chapter 12: The Start

Yami slept fitfully and woke with a start. He was dreaming...of what? He hadn't dreamt in millennia, now, after the events of last night, he dreams?

Sighing, he opened his coffin and stepped out. Walking over to his shower, his mind wandered over the past 24 hours. As the warm water sluiced over his skin, he closed his eyes, resting his head on the shower stall.

"Hollywood says vampires don't sleep." Yami sighed. Seto had no tact. Couldn't Yami even shower in peace?

"Yes, and Hollywood also says pandas learn Kung Fu and sound like Jack Black. Your point?" Yami glared as he stuck out his arm and grabbed a black towel, drying off and wrapping it around his waist.

"I have been doing research all night. I couldn't rest." Seto said, following Yami out into his bedroom, which was off the bathroom.

"About Bakura, I hope?" Yami asked tiredly, mind still trying to chase his dream.

"No, of course not. About Kisara." Seto sat down on the bed as Yami changed into pants and a black tank top.

"Of course." Yami said drily and headed to the kitchen, Seto following quietly, deep in thought. Yami gave up trying to remember the dream. It was just a dream after all, it had no significance.

"Honda." Yami nodded. Honda smiled and sat next to Yami and bent his neck accordingly. Yami pierced the flesh, drinking some. Honda sat perfectly happy, while Yami picked up his phone and looked at the local news sites, drinking from Honda occasionally as he kept up with the times.

After a few minutes, Yami looked up. Seto was staring off in the distance. Yami raised an eyebrow. Sighing, he asked the inevitable. "What did you learn?"

Seto's eyes were sad. That startled Yami. He hadn't seen that emotion since...her.

"After investing several hours, I traced Joey's lineage. It seems he had an ancestor named...Kisara Kaiba."

Yami choked and gagged at that. "Kaiba, you are attracted to your kin? That is just sick. I mean, yea, we are sexual creatures, but...dayum."

Seto glared at Yami with such force that Yami flinched as if struck. "No, Idiot." Seto sighed. "There is something I never told you about Kisara. Remember when I took her on a trip, and was gone for a year?"

Yami nodded. It was an unusual time in the pair's history, for Seto was even more closed off after coming back, and refused to speak of that time at all. Seto had always confided in Yami before that and since, but never about that. Within a week after returning, Kisara and Seto had been married, and the day after their wedding, she had been taken from Seto. It was at that point that Yami and Seto were set on their current path. Yami found himself slightly leaning forward in interest.

"On that trip, Kisara was raped." The pain in Seto's eyes was real, and fresh. Yami held in the gasp that threatened to escape. Rapists were the lowest of the low, with no honor. "We were never intimate, yet she sired a son...who was born nine months from the day of the rape. The boy was kidnapped 2 days after his birth. Jayce was never found."

Yami was trying to let that sink in. "Joey is a long lost heir of that lineage." Seto clipped, rolling his eyes at Yami's density. At that, he got up and left the kitchen. Yami sat there, trying to let everything sink in.

Suddenly, there was a knock. Yami looked up and saw Yugi standing there. "Honda told me to see you about my hand." Yugi stated, looking down.

Yami was concerned. Yugi seemed...off. At that moment Yami smelled...something intoxicating. Yugi again...but stronger. His scent mixed with the acrid smell of blood. Yami's mouth started watering. That was when he saw it. A large gash on Yugi's right hand.

"What happened to your hand?" Yami asked. Yugi looked down. "I got cut by silver. It will heal, just takes longer." Yugi said. "By the way, thank you."

Yami looked confused. "For?"

"Your eye thing lit up, and they ran. All 7 of them. Screaming like they had been scorched."

"W...would you like me to heal your hand?" Yami asked tentatively.

"How?"

"My saliva has healing properties." Yami realized he was holding his breath and slowly let it out.

"O...okay." Yugi kept looking down.

Yami walked over and gently took Yugi's hand. He lightly ran his tongue over the cut, as it started healing.

Yugi's blood was...amazing. Yami's eyes slid closed as a small moan escaped his lips.

Yugi just watched Yami, his breathing becoming shallow. "Please..." his voice faltered. He was trying to say please stop, but the word would not come. This could not happen, not after what Yugi learned. Yami looked up, eyes dark with desire.

Yugi couldn't speak as Yami moved in closer. "Gladly." Yami whispered, moving in and capturing Yugi's lips with his own. Yugi groaned, wrapping arms around Yami. Yami pulled him closer, running his tongue over Yugi's lips.

Suddenly, Yugi pushed away. "No. I...I can't do this. This is wrong...you're...just, no." Yugi turned and walked out, leaving Yami to stand there, wondering what the hell just happened.

Chapter 13: The Return

Yugi sighed, leaning against the door. He needed to stay away from Yami. But how? "Damn. Damn. Damn!" He muttered.

"What da hell, Yug?" Joey came running up, out of breath. "What happened back dere?"

"Later." Yugi shook his head warningly and walked off.

Joey sighed, frowning. It was going to be a long night.

Joey sat at the club most of the night, nursing beers. He wasn't worried about a hangover...his exceptional metabolism wouldn't allow hangovers. He was worried about Yugi. Spellcasters attacking the wereleopards were unheard of. A sacrifice had been made centuries ago that would keep wereleopards out of the spellcasters' sights. Yet, tonight, seven stopped him and Yugi. One with white hair had an argument in a language Joey could not even understand with Yugi. He would have to ask Yugi what language _that_ was. The white haired guy then cut Yugi with a silver blade before they all vanished. Joey shook his head, then took another drink of his beer, signaling to the bartender for another. As he paid for the beer, his mind slipped into the memories of his youth and how the peace had been forged with the spellcasters.

Legend had it that wereleopard blood was the most potent and valuable blood used by spellcasters several thousand years ago when Pharaohs still ruled Egypt. It was said that the feline were came from Egypt and grew exponentially, what with the deference and worship Egyptians had about cats. The spellcasters slaughtered hundreds of were, but hit wereleopards especially hard, until the wereleopards were almost extinct, draining the bodies of blood. It was said Rakuba was trying to bring back The Blood God, for who knows what. The Pharaoh had tried to wage war against the spellcasters, led by Rakuba.

The Pharaoh's best friend, and unrequieted love was a wereleopard, born of a wereleopard mother, and a fey spellcasting father. Both parents died trying to protect their child, whom they claimed would be the one to save the land. On their death, the Pharaoh's cook, the parents' only true friend, took the child to the palace and raised the child as his own. This child grew up with the Pharaoh's son, the boys becoming best friends. No one in the palace, save the cook, knew of the boy's parentage. All knew he was a wereleopard, but assumed both parents to be were.

As the boy grew, he fell in love with the Pharaoh's son. When the royal son ascended as Pharaoh, he chose a wife, never knowing of the boy's love. The boy vowed to protect the Pharaoh at all costs. One night Rakuba determined who the boy really was, after years of searching, and broke into the palace. He easily found the boy and read the boy's dreams, seeing what was most precious to him.

Rakuba then went in, under cover of night, and slit the young Pharaoh's throat to break the boy. Better to turn and use him and get limitless blood than to kill him and get a finite amount. When the boy went in the next day and saw his love's dead body, he fell upon him, kissing his face, tears flowing. It was said all that could be heard were prayers from the boy, begging Ra to return his love at any cost.

When there appeared to be no answer, the boy went to find Rakuba, for he knew who had executed the Pharaoh. After getting Rakuba to admit his deed to the boy, it was said that an explosion of energy came off of the boy. Rakuba dissipated, none knowing where he went, or if he even survived, and his followers disbanded.

The boy went to pay final respects to his love, his best friend...as the Pharaoh was ready to be entombed, the boy kissed him, one last time. It is said, the Pharaoh's eyes opened, but now he was a creature of the night, with crimson eyes instead of purple...the first vampire. As the Pharaoh felt the boy's kiss, his long buried feelings surfaced, and he kissed the boy back with passion. It was said the boy smiled, truly happy to have his love returned. The boy died in the Pharaoh's arms, giving up the last of his life energy to bring his love back through his final kiss, sealing the Pharaoh's promised continued existence.

Joey shook his head again, eyes heavy with worry. So what the hell was going on now? Was the legend wrong? Or worse, had Rakuba returned?

Chapter 14: The Funeral

Seto Kaiba paced. Seto Kaiba _never_ paced, and yet, now, here he was, pacing. He stopped, staring at his feet in annoyance. It was impossible. It could not be true. He could not have lost him. He would _not_ lose him.

"Sir?" A timid voice interrupted his thoughts.

"What?" he spat, annoyed.

"Well, sir...the, the funeral is about to start...and Yugi is about to start the eulogy for Joey. You wanted me to alert you." The tiny assistant shut the door and scampered off, not wanting to incur any wrath.

Seto felt pain. An aching, gaping wound in his chest that hurt more than anything he had experienced, even losing Kisara. He felt it hard to move; hard to breathe.

He made his way down the stairs woodenly. He looked out at the sea of faces he had come to know. But the only face he saw was the one in the coffin. The one who had his heart. The one he could not save from Bakura. The one that, even in death, was the most beautifully handsome face in existence.

Yami walked up to him, putting a hand on Seto's shoulder, eyes dark with pity. Wearing his formal black suit, black silk shirt, and black tie, Yami's eyes seemed more red than normal. His normally calm face showed nothing but sorrow. "Cousin, is there anything I can do..." his voice broke at this point as Seto eyed him coldly.

"Yes, pull yourself together." he snapped. Even as he was saying it, he did not mean it. Yami sighed and went, sitting on the front row, with an empty seat next to him. Yugi was standing by the coffin, looking sadly at Seto, eyes puffy from crying.

Seto sat down in the front row, on the other side of Yami. He sat there, staring at the coffin as Yugi talked. He sat there, staring at the coffin as Serenity cried. He sat there, staring at the coffin while everyone waited for him to speak.

Finally, he stood, turning to face the people who came to pay their respects. He cleared his throat. "Thank you for coming. Joey would have loved to know he was the center of attention and that this was all about him." There was a smattering of chuckles as Seto struggled to speak. His throat felt burnt and constricted.

"Joey was the best person I have ever met. He was loyal to a fault, funny, my lover and my best friend." Tears started to flow down Seto's face. "He was my heart, my mate, my reason for being." He turned to look at Joey, his voice breaking.

Yami nodded to someone Seto could not see. The lid started to close. "Please. Please come back to me." Seto cried as he sank to his knees, all hope leaving him, a crushing emptiness filling him as the coffin lid was shut.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Seto sat straight up in his coffin, hitting his head on the lid. "Shit." He opened the lid and rubbed his head. He jumped out of the coffin and ran to a deep crimson colored co in, flinging the lid open. Yami opened shocked eyes. "Seto, what the hell?"

"I just had a dream...a nightmare. Rakuba is back. We are all in danger, especially Joey and Yugi."

Chapter 15: The Assembling

Yugi ran his hand through his hair. He had only been working for Yami for 2 days, and his whole world was flipped. He flopped his head back on his pillow. What day was it? Monday. Yay! He snuggled down into his bed, under the covers. He could sleep a while longer...

"Uh, Yug...we got vis'ters" Joey's voice invaded Yugi's brain. Yugi groaned and flopped over. "Tell 'em I'm not here." Yugi mumbled.

"Well, uh, Yug', I would but..." Joey began, but a baritone voice interrupted him.

"I am sorry, Yugi. But what we come for is of utmost importance." Yugi would know that voice anywhere. He sighed, flipping down the covers and sitting up.

"Yami, today is my off day, y'know." Yugi mumbled grumpily. Then his eyes grew huge. He remembered what happened yesterday. "Get out!"

Seto rolled his eyes. "I forgot how finicky cats were."

"Yugi, we come to you to discuss Rakuba." Yami said, like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Please, get dressed and meet us downstairs." Yami and Seto turned, leaving, led by Joey.

"Uh, how are yas able ta still be here when Yug revoked his permission for yas to be in here?" Yugi heard Joey ask.

"Hollywood isn't reality, Mutt." Seto responded drily.

"I ain't no damn d..." as the door shut, Yugi flopped back down. Not only did he have to worry about the safety of Yami, but he had to deal with those two and their sexual tension bickering. And now, he had to deal with Rakuba, whoever in the hell _that_ was.

He sighed, getting up and slipping on jeans over his boxers. This was going to be a long day.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi's eyes widened when he got to the living room. There were _a lot_ of beings there; some he knew, some faces unknown. However, his face lit up when he got to the corner of the living room.

"Anzu!" he exclaimed and padded, barefoot, up to the slim girl with shoulder length brown hair and slim features. He hugged her tightly, smiling. She smiled back, hugging him just as tightly.

"Yugi! It's been forever! Oh, watch the wings!" Yugi's face turned red as he moved his hands away from dainty purple wings sprouting from her back. "Sorry, but I had to get here quick, so I had to fly." she giggled.

Yami stifled the jealously that started welling up in him. He turned his back to them as Malik came out with a platter with cups and ice, and Duke wheeled out a cooler full of a variety of drinks. Malik started handing cups filled with ice to each of the visitors. Duke popped open the lid. "Drinks." he announced, and flopped down next to Serenity.

Yami politely waved away the cup Malik tried to hand him. Seto, being Seto looked at the cup, then at Malik. "Unless you are going to drain a vein into that, I won't be needing it." Malik turned red and walked on. Yami rolled his eyes and Joey glared.

Yugi turned around. "Uh, Y...Yami...what did you need?"

Malik sighed. "Yugi! We aren't being very polite! We need to make sure everyone knows each other. Because there are _some_ here that I have not had the...pleasure..." at that his eyes darted to Seto then away, a forced pleasantness in that word "of meeting."

Yami smiled. "Forgive me, Malik. Let me make introductions..." As Yami started making introductions, Yugi's mind started wandering. Who was this Rakuba? Did he have something to do with the danger the prowl was in? Did he have something to do with the danger Yami was in? All of a sudden, Yugi noticed everyone staring at him. His face turned red. "O..Okay Yami. Again, what do you need?"

Seto glanced at Joey, then at Yami. "Rakuba is back."

"And that means what to me exactly?" Yugi asked in confusion.

Seto sighed in frustration and took a breath. "What it means..." he started harshly as Yami smoothly interrupted.

"What it means is that all supernatural beings are in great danger. Were, fey, spellcasters, and vampires."

"Maybe ya should start at da beginnin'" Joey stated, grabbing a Pepsi and sitting down, popping the can open.

"The beginning..." Yami's eyes got a far away look to them. "Well, that would start in Egypt..."

Chapter 16: The Legend's Reality

"Back when I was a child, over 3,000 years ago, were, fey, and spellcasters lived peacefully with humans. Vampires did not exist. However, Blood magic was used to create potent spells, for good and for evil. Supernatural blood was more potent than human blood. Wereleopard blood was the most potent and valuable blood used by spellcasters. The feline were came from Egypt and grew exponentially, what with the deference and worship Egyptians had about cats. A branch of spellcasters, led by Rakuba, slaughtered hundreds of were, but hit wereleopards especially hard, until the wereleopards were almost extinct. Unlike the good or neutral casters who would use some of a willing participant's blood, Rakuba's clan captured the were and drained the bodies of blood. It was said Rakuba was trying to bring back The Blood God, for who knows what. My father, the Pharaoh, had tried to wage war against the spellcasters led by Rakuba.

My best friend, Heba, was a wereleopard, born of a wereleopard mother, and a fey spellcasting father. Both parents died trying to protect their child, whom they, along with prophets, claimed would be the one to save the land. On their death, the Pharaoh's cook, Mahad, the parents' only true friend, took the child to the palace and raised the child as his own. Heba and I became best friends. We all knew he was a wereleopard, but we assumed both parents to be were.

As we grew up together, I fell in love with Heba. Heba was wonderful, beautiful, and perfect. Heba never showed any inclination of reciprocating my feelings. I did not want to lose his constant presence in my life, so I hid my true feelings and, once ascending to Pharaoh, I took a wife. Seto, my cousin, was my head priest. Heba was my chief advisor, as I trusted no one's opinion more than Heba's.

Rakuba determined that Heba was indeed the only one who could stop his plans of bringing The Blood God back and, after years of searching, found Heba and broke into the palace. Rakuba then went in, under cover of night, and slit my throat. Why he killed me and not Heba, I do not know. I was told that after my death, Heba went and found Rakuba, for he knew who had executed me. After getting Rakuba to admit his deed, it was said that an explosion of energy came off of Heba. Rakuba disappeared, none knowing where he went, or if he even survived, and his followers disbanded.

Heba came to me, on the day I was to be entombed. The next thing I remember was being drawn toward a warmth, towards a beacon. I woke with Heba kissing me! Everything was red, I could not make out anything. I could not visually remember anything, not what I looked like, nor my family, Rakuba, Seto, not even Heba. But I remembered. I remembered what happened, my life, my history, my Heba. I knew the feel of my Heba. The warmth was still soaking into me and I kissed my Heba, my love, my life back with all the passion I had kept inside for all those years. As I felt the last of that warmth entering me, Heba..."

Yami stopped, visibly shaken. "Heba..." he tried again, and again could not finish.

Yugi stood, eyes full of tears, and walked towards Yami. He stopped and touched Yami's cheek. Yami's crimson eyes looked up at Yugi, full of tears. "Died, saving you." Yugi finished quietly. At that, Yugi leaned down, kissing Yami gently. Leaning back, Yami's face registered surprise. "Heba?" he choked out in disbelief, looking at Yugi.

"Yes, Atem, it is I, Heba." As Yugi smiled tenderly at Yami, Yami stood and crushed Yugi in a hug.

After a few moments, Joey spoke up. "I don' understand. So, Yami, Atem, whoever ya are, did you know Yug was Heba dis whole time? Yug, are ya really reincarnated as Heba?" Joey scratched his head, and Seto sighed heavily, rolling his eyes.

Yami smiled, and pulled Yugi on his lap. Yugi settled in, feeling as if he always belonged there. "No, I did not know who Yugi was. As I stated, when I was reborn, all I saw was shades of red for about a week. I could not remember what anyone looked like, not even myself. After about a week, my vision started clearing, and finally, I was able to see again. I don't know if the vision issue was due to the trauma of death, my price to pay for becoming a vampire, or just bad luck."

Joey nodded, then looked at Yugi. Yugi sighed, laying his head on Yami's chest. "I am reincarnated, I guess. I did not know about any of this until Bakura ran into me the other night. He cast some kind of spell and I defended...which somehow unlocked all my memories."

Seto stood at this point. "If we can now move on past the history lesson and the latest episode of the Dating Game, we can get to the reason we came to this litter box in the woods." Joey growled and stood, flexing his fists. Seto ignored him and continued, "Rakuba has resurfaced and we are all in danger. And...either Rakuba survived and has been in hiding all this time, or he has been reincarnated...because Bakura is Rakuba."

Chapter 17: Shezmu

Silence. That is all that was heard after Seto's announcement. And then...it was like a bomb went off, every person exploding into questions. Seto looked around at the panic and confusion. Finally, in an authoritative voice he stated, "Silence!"

Everybody went silent. Well, everyone _but_ Joey. "Hey, 'dis is da prowl's house. You ain't in charge!" He stated angrily, jumping to his feet. Seto rolled his eyes.

"Sit down, Mutt."

Joey's eyes flared. "Now listen here..."

Yami stepped up, putting his hands up as he set Yugi on his feet on the floor. "Seto and I apologize. What Joey said is true. This is not our house." He looked accusatorily at Seto, then beseechingly at Yugi.

Yugi sighed. "Everyone, let's listen to what Seto and Yami have to say. Let's save questions for the end. If what Seto says is true," Seto glared..."then this affects _all_ of us, and more than just us. Seto, please continue." Yugi sat on the ground, feeling the concern coming off his prowl. He knew they would need to pile up together to draw strength off each other. Were seemed to revert to primal instincts in tense situations, and wereleopards were no different. His prowl always wanted to be together; to feel contact. They were more than a prowl, they were family...blood or not. Sure enough, the wereleopards started crawling over and sitting in a heap together, watching Seto warily. Serenity put her head on Joey's shoulder as Joey sat with his chin on Yugi's head. Duke curled protectively around Serenity, a hand on her arm.

"Thank you. Now, to avoid pointless questions at the end...Many will ask, since vampires have been fighting Bakura for a few centuries now, at least back to the 1400s, why did Yami and I not make the connection? First, Rakuba always wore a mask, so we never saw his face in Egypt. Second, we all assumed that Rakuba died, and reincarnation did not enter our minds to think that that the two might be the same. Three, we are not sure that Bakura is the identical Rakuba who never died, just went into hiding, or if he is a reincarnation. What we _do_ know is that he is trying to raise the Blood God. The missing people are because of him. If he summons the Blood God...we are all doomed."

Seto looked around. Everyone was quiet, watching him. "Shezmu is dangerous, and all too real. He has a thirst for blood and will stop at nothing to destroy every last living thing, solely for blood. Even his followers are not safe. So why Bakura wants to raise Shezmu is beyond me...unless he has discovered a way to harness the power of Shezmu...which is more frightening than Shezmu himself."

An uneasy silence settled over the house. All eyes stared at Seto. Finally, Anzu timidly raised her hand. "W..what can we do to stop this?"

"Fight!" Joey stood up, fist in the air, Serenity toppling over from leaning on him, Duke catching her just in time from banging her head on the ground where Joey's bottom had just sat. Seto rolled his eyes.

"Mutt, sit down. We can't fight right now, we can't even _find_ Bakura right now. What we first need to do is find Bakura. We were going to put the werewolves on that, with their exceptional sense of smell and all. After we find him, we need to get information on what he is doing, how close he is to completing his task, and if that is his only end game. Then we can plan our attack and fight."

Joey bristled but said nothing, Yugi's hand on his arm. "Aw'right bloodsucker, how did ya get the information ya have?"

Seto turned, baring his fangs at Joey. Yami and Yugi both rolled their eyes in unison. "I had a vision. I haven't had visions since Egyptian times, but I had one the other day. My visions have always been correct."

No one moved. The were could feel the honesty and conviction coming from Seto. The fey could see his aura was strong, without deceit. The spellcasters...well, let's just say the spellcasters in the room had ... _maybe_ ...cast a spell to ensure that they could tell what was honest and what was not.

"Okay. Let's let the werewolves find Bakura. After they find him, we can send the fey in to get information, since they can go invisible. See what the fey can find out and if we can maybe find a way to capture Bakura, or at least to fight him." Yugi had stood, slowly disentangling himself from the pile on the floor. "If you don't want to help, I understand. This is dangerous. However, if you do want to help, please try to get others. But this has to stay _top secret_. Tell only those you trust. If this information falls into the hands of Bakura or his followers, we are all dead. Let's plan to meet back here next Monday; we can get an update from the wolves." Yugi turned to Yami. "Please, let them know we are extending an invitation for them to come to our house."

Yami nodded, and everyone started disbanding. Yugi looked at Yami. "Can we talk?" Yami nodded, looking at Seto. "A moment?" Seto just curtly nodded and then went to look out the plate glass window.

"Yes?" Yami stated, putting his arms around Yugi once they were in the kitchen. Yugi sighed shakily. He turned, amethyst orbs filled with tears. Yami pulled him close. "What is wrong, Little One?" Yugi put his head on Yami's chest, then pushed away.

"I...I can't be with you."

Yami chuckled. "Well, I can't be without you, so it looks as if we are at an impasse." He reached for Yugi to pull him in an embrace. Yugi pushed away, more forcefully.

"No, damnit Yami, I am serious! Don't you understand? Last time I loved you, you died... _because of me!_ I won't let that happen again. I would rather live alone than drag you to your death again." Yugi turned away, tears spilling over his cheeks.

Yami came up behind Yugi, putting his arms around Yugi. "I would rather die than live without you. I did that for 3,000 years...it was a walking death every day. I lived for nothing because I was without you. It was torture."

Yugi turned, putting his forehead on Yami's chest. "No matter what I do, I hurt you." he sniffed.

"Then, don't pull away from me. Let's have trust in our friends that a resolution can be found without either of us dying. And, if one of us has to die, at least we can have from now until then together. I would rather have a moment of happiness with you than a lifetime of despair without you." At that, Yami leaned in, kissing Yugi tenderly, full of 3,000 years of love and longing.

Chapter 18: The Kiss

Seto stared impatiently out the window while Yami talked about whatever with Yugi. He was antsy. He wanted to get out and track down Bakura. He did not like not knowing what danger was in store. And, more importantly, he did not like that vision he had.

A hand rested on his upper arm, warm, steady and soft. Seto looked over to see who it was and was very surprised to see Joey standing not more than 10 inches from him. Seto glared. "What, Mutt?"

Joey growled, then, closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Opening those pools of honey, he said the one thing that Seto never thought he would say in a gentle voice. "I am not who you tink I am."

Confusion registered on Seto's face. "You aren't Joey, a wereleopard?" he asked, completely confused by this turn of events.

"I'm not dis reincarnation of yor mate from centuries ago. I know ya loved 'em..." Seto felt anger rising...he was going to KILL Yugi..."and I just wanted ya to know dat." Joey shrugged, looking down at the floor.

"I never said you were a reincarnation of anyone, _especially_ her." Seto said coldly, making Joey flinch. The hurt on Joey's face made Seto's heart plummet to his feet. Joey turned around and started walking off.

The memories of the funeral flooded his mind again...seeing Joey in the coffin..the ache in his chest...the gnawing hole in his soul. He reached a hand out to Joey's back. "Joey...wait..." he said softly. Joey stopped, but did not turn around, his back inches from Seto's out stretched fingers.

"Joey...I..." Seto faltered. He what? He has done nothing but treat Joey poorly, and now he just expected Joey to forgive him, give him a hug and kiss and move on? Seto shook his head. "I'm sorry." he finally said.

Joey did not even turn around. "I am sorry, too." he said quietly. He turned, looking at Seto. "I am sorry I fell in love with you, when you are obviously hung up on someone else." And with that, he walked away up the stairs, head still bowed.

Seto stared after Joey, the declaration of love just starting to sink in. He raced up the stairs and was actually in front of Joey when he got to the top. Joey bumped into Seto, eyes widening. "Nyeh! You was jus' down dere...now ya up here?"

Seto looked at Joey and grabbed each side of his face, lifting him into a kiss. Seto's warm tongue was running over Joey's lips, begging for entrance. Joey's eyes went wider, then started sliding closed as he put his arms around the taller male. Seto pulled him in close, Joey opening his mouth and deepening the kiss. A sound like a quiet engine escaped Joey's mouth and Seto pulled away, chuckling.

Joey was trying to remember how to breathe. "Wha's so funny?" he asked, looking puzzled, lips swollen from their kiss.

Seto smirked. "You were purring, kittycat." Joey chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as his face turned a deeper shade of crimson.

"So, where does dis put us at?" Joey looked up at Seto, eyes filled with questions.

"Well, I suppose we should go out on a date." Seto said, smiling. Joey grinned. "We can go anywhere you want, with one exception." Seto said, smirking. Joey raised an eyebrow, looking at him.

"Wha's dat?"

"No dog parks or cat shows." Seto smirked.

Chapter 19: The Mistake

"The sacrifice is being prepared." a rough voice rasped, three days after the meeting at the prowl house.

"Good. And the spellcaster, has she completed the ritual?" a voice heavy with british accent asked.

"Almost. The relic is almost complete." The rough voice chuckled.

"I see. Is it confirmed that the were will survive the transformation?"

"No, Sire. That has not been confirmed." As logs were arranged, a flame licked over the logs, starting a fire, jumping to life, illuminating the two men speaking.

The white haired man turned and looked at the shorter male. "Well, Rex, I would suggest you... _encourage_ her to make sure the were can survive. I mean, how much fun would it be if I could only torment _one_ of my two oldest enemies? Besides..." he eyed Rex threateningly, "...I need them both for Shezmu."

Rex backed up, bowing in fear. "Yes, Master Bakura. Your will be done." He scampered out, running down the hall.

Bakura settled into a chair in front of the fire, smiling to himself. "Soon..." He closed his eyes, smiling at the death and bloodshed that formed behind his closed eyelids.

Meanwhile, Rex hurried down the hallway, bumping into a petite brown haired girl. "Anzu! What are you doing out? You are supposed to be working on the relic! Master Bakura is becoming impatient!"

"Hmph! Not a very nice way to say hello." The petite girl crossed her arms, looking at Rex. "For your information, the relic is ready. We just need a test subject."

Rex smiled, a predatory smile. "I have just the thing. Get the relic, and come with me." Anzu looked at him confused, but did as commanded.

He walked down a long flight of stairs to the dungeon cells. Anzu followed, sniffing slightly in disgust. Rex walked to the second door on the right and opened it. "Here ya go." he said, motioning inside. Inside were two figures, chained with solid silver chains and slumped down, hanging from the wall, feet barely able to touch the floor.

"You! Wake up." He turned on the lights and two sets of eyes looked up at him. One set, green, eyed him angrily and jerked against the chains, flesh sizzling. "Duke!" The other figure screamed, seeing Duke get burnt by straining against the chains.

"It's okay, Serenity." Duke winced. He then noticed the other figure. "You!" he growled angrily. Serenity followed his gaze.

"Anzu!" Serenity cried, tears filling her eyes. "Oh, no...they caught you, too." Tears spilled over her cheeks.

Anzu just laughed, walking over to Serenity. "You always did want to believe the best in people." Serenity's eyes grew wide as Anzu placed a small emerald the size of a quarter, jagged and long, against her forehead.

"Keep your filthy hands off her!" spat Duke. Again, he tried to reach out to Yugi or Joey telepathically as he had been trying to do for the past couple hours. It was like there was a block...he couldn't even reach Serenity, three feet from his outstretched fingers.

Anzu ignored him, starting to chant. Serenity started to whimper, then full out scream as her skin started crawling, veins bulging. Her eyes went bloodshot as capillaries burst in her eyes. Anzu chanted harder, faster. Serenity's body bowed away drom the wall, drool and blood leaking from her mouth.

Duke's eyes grew wide, tears flowing, as he strained against his bindings, screaming.

Anzu kept chanting. Suddenly, there was a sickening pop. Duke screamed, looking at Serenity, burning his wrists as the chains dug deep in his wrists as he tried to reach her. Duke's eyes went wide, and then he started vomiting. Where Serenity's head had been were just jagged, ripped chunks of flesh. The body slumped against the chains, head and brain matter on the walls.

"Well, that won't do." Anzu stated, frowing, looking upon Serenity's body. "Back to my lab." She turned and walked out, followed quickly by Rex, who turned out the lights as he closed and locked the door, leaving Duke sobbing.

Chapter 20: The Missing

"Noooo!" Yami screamed, shooting up out of his coffin. Yugi had been sitting next to the coffin, playing on his phone. He shot straight up off the floor, dropping his phone, and grabbed Yami, who was sweating and shaking uncontrollably

"Yami! What happened?" Yugi was staring, wide amethyst eyes taking in the the sight of his love completely disheveled.

Seto came striding purposefully in, Joey following closely behind. Cobalt blue eyes locked with crimson. "You felt it, too?" Yami asked shakily, putting an arm around Yugi's shoulders. Seto nodded, once.

"Would someone tell me what the _hell_ is going on?" Yugi snapped impatiently, looking with concern at Yami. After helping Yami to a wingback chair in the corner and easing him into it, Yugi sighed, looking between Seto and Yami.

"He needs blood." Seto clipped, and moments later Honda appeared, baring his neck. Yami bit, and drank deeply. Honda let out a contented sigh. Yugi let out an angry huff. Yami stopped shaking. "Thank you, Honda." Honda smiled goofily and walked out.

"I thought it was supposed ta hoit?" Joey asked, scratching his blond head in confusion.

"It does, for everyone but Yami's victims...or "eager participants", one might say. One of his "gifts" is making his bite...pleasureable." Seto explained.

"Yugi, Seto, please get our group together...something terrible has happened." At that statement, Yami's tone, and how Yami acted when he woke up, Yugi's heart crashed into his heels, nausea crawling up his throat.

Seto nodded, heading out. Yugi closed his eyes, sending out a message to the entire prowl to meet at the club immediately, no exceptions. He held onto Yami's hands. "Is there anything you need?" Yami smiled up at his doppelganger, so concerned, and shook his head no.

Seto came back five minutes later. "The vampires, fey, werewolves and spellcasters have been notified, and should be arriving shortly."

Within 33 minutes, everyone was assembled in the meeting room at the club. Seto walked in, followed by Joey, Yugi, and finally Yami. Yugi's eyes darted around the room. "Where are Duke, Serenity, and Tony?"

Joey looked up upon hearing his sister's name. "She better not 'a snuck off with Duke." he growled.

Anzu frowned. "Yugi, what's going on? Why were we all called here early?"

Yami stood, clearing his throat. "Is anyone else missing?" All the wolves looked at each other. "All wolves are here." said a tall, skinny red head named Sean.

"All fey are here." Anzu reported, blue eyes dark with concern.

"We are missing Rebecca." Ryou, a silver haired spellcaster with warm chocolate eyes said in a British accent, eyes full of worry.

"All vampires are accounted for." replied Mokuba, walking into the meeting in a rush. "Sorry I'm late big brother." he said, running up and giving Seto a hug. The raven haired boy barely made it to Seto's chest. Joey noticed Seto relax imperceptibly at seeing Mokuba.

Skylar walked in, tan, with golden skin and blonde hair, and sky blue eyes. He was followed by four other men, all tall, all with wings of different colors sprouting out of their backs. "We are missing Ishizu." He frowned, folding his golden wings to his back. "Otherwise, all angels are accounted for."

Yami stood and bowed to Skylar. "I did not know the angels were coming to help. Last I heard from Odion, the angels were staying out of earthly affairs."

"Since an angel has went missing, it is now beyond earthly affairs." Skylar bowed back to Yami.

"I see." Yami turned to the whole group. "I have provided all of you with my protection, barring the angels."Yami stated, nodding to Skylar, who nodded back. "In providing protection, some of my life force has been introduced into the charm of protection that was placed on each of you. Therefore, in essence, there is a bit of my essence in each of you."

No one spoke, so Yami continued. "I just felt some of my essence ripped from a being and re-absorbed by myself. Someone has just...died."

"Who?" Yugi whispered shakily as everyone else sat, in shock.

Yami shook his head. "I do not know, but I fear it is one of those not with us."

Yami sighed, seeing everyone nervously looking around at each other. "I fear this is Bakura's doing. I want search parties out searching for each of those not with us. Wolves and leopards, we will pair you both up. Between each of your extraordinary noses, there is hope of catching a scent trail." Yami sighed, sitting down.

"The fey would like to help." Anzu declared, stepping forward. "I can go with Joey and Sean, searching the woods east of here, since I know those woods best?"

Yami smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Anzu. Seto, would you organize the parties?" Seto nodded and pulled out some parchment and a pen from a drawer, along with a map of the area. He started sectioning o areas and assigning beings to groups.

"Report back here by 5 a.m. If you find Bakura, do not engage him...he is dangerous. Let us know via telepathy or spell." All the beings nodded. "Yami, Yugi, Skylar, Ryou, and myself will stay here for updates and to gather reinforcements if necessary, as well as facilitate communication among the different groups." He nodded a dismissal. All the beings le except for the above mentioned few who were staying behind.

Yugi sat down in Yami's lap. He looked at his lap, fidgeting. "Yami...do you really not know who died?"

Yami sighed. "I do not. I wish I did."

Yugi nodded, looking at the clock. Nine thirty-nine P.M. Yugi sighed again. Five A.M. was not going to come for a long, long time.

Chapter 21: The Ritual

"None found...none!" Yami growled, pacing like a wild animal. Yugi sat, looking at Yami, tail flicking in the air in an agitated pattern. His nerves had gotten the best of him and he had transformed. Seto sat, outwardly at least, calm. However, inwardly he was worried. _Very_ worried. It was nearing 5 A.M., and all were back except Joey and company.

"Aaaagh!" Yami screamed again, falling on his butt on top of Yugi. Seto stood, face white.

"Seto! Yami!" Honda's voice broke through the air. All three heads snapped up as Honda strode in, carrying Sean. Seto looked at Sean, white face gone ashen. "He is in bad shape...he..." Honda stopped, looking down at Sean as Sean let out a horrible rattle, then was silent. Yugi walked around Sean, sniffing. He sat, bowing his head, amethyst eyes sad.

"Let me." Ryou came forward, laying hands on Sean's form, chanting. Suddenly, Ryou was thrown backward, electricity arcing from Sean's body to Ryou's hands.

"Ryou!" Yami yelled. Yugi jumped up, circling Sean, looking at Seto, Ryou, and Yami.

"Where is Joey?" Seto demanded of Honda. Honda stepped back, backing away from Seto, fear plain in his eyes. Ryou stood up, shakily. "Sean was killed by some very powerful dark magic. There may be a way to answer your questions, Seto, but we need someone skilled in necromancy."

Yami nodded, looking at Seto. "Get Ravyn." Seto strode out and almost instantaneously brought back a raven haired bartender with ice blue eyes so pale they almost looked white. She was attired in Cleopatra garb. "Master?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and curtseying.

Ryou stepped up. "Can you raise the dead?"

Ravyn looked to Ryou and nodded. "Yes, if the being is not dead for more than 24 hours and is intact, it is a simple ritual. Master," she turned to Yami. "Are you wanting me to raise this one?" She motioned toward Sean.

"Yes, please. The fate of others may rely on his knowledge."

"Master, I will do as you request. However, please understand that the zombie will only answer to me, can only answer simple questions, and can only answer with the knowledge he had at his death." Ravyn looked for permission from Yami. Yami nodded.

Ravyn left, coming back a couple minutes later with a dagger. "Please, everyone, stand at the edges of the room. This is a blood ritual." All moved to the side, Yami absently petting Yugi's head while Yugi's tail curled around Yami's ankle.

Ravyn took the dagger, and punctured her flesh, drawing a long, deep gash down her left arm. She dropped some blood on Sean's forehead, chest, and ankles. "Blood is life; blood is needed for life. I am giving of my life to bring you back. Please, come back to assist this life you left."

Sean's body twitched, then started sitting up. Yugi crawled in front of Yami protectively.

Sean's lifeless eyes looked at Ravyn. Ravyn kept eye contact with Sean, but asked the room, "State your questions one at a time, let me ask, let him answer, and then ask another."

Seto immediately asked, "Where is Joey?" Ravyn repeated the question. Sean's corpse blinked slowly, "Dungeon." he answered slowly.

Seto growled. "What happened the last time you saw him?" Again, Ravyn repeated the question. Sean drooled out of his mouth a bit. "He fell trying to escape and told me to go on."

Yami spoke up, "Who did you see in the woods?" Ravyn again parroted the question. Sean's jaw fell slack. "White hair man, Joey, Anzu."

"What did you see happen to Anzu?" Yami inquired, with Ravyn repeating to Sean. Sean slumped, and stated "White haired man take her."

"Final question, he is getting tired and my control grows weak." Ravyn had a sheen of sweat on her brow. "Who was in dungeon?" Yugi asked. Ravyn dutifully repeated the question. Sean sat down. "Duke, Joey, and headless girl." A huge rattle escaped Sean's body, and he collapsed...blood seeping out of his eyes and ears.

"Duke? Oh, no...that means it was Serenity!" Yami's crimson eyes filled with worry and sadness. Yugi started to mewl pitifully, then let out a large roar before bounding out the door.

Chapter 22: The Escape

"Yugi, stop!" Yami yelled, grabbing Yugi's shoulder. "We have to be smart about this. We cannot rush in; we must make a plan to take down Bakura."

Yugi stopped, tail still twitching in agitation. Seto walked up. "I suggest," he clipped, "that we take a small group of our strongest. Leave the rest here as backup."

Yami looked at Seto. "Who are you recommending?"

"Myself, you two, Ryo, Honda, Ravyn, and Skylar." Seto said simply.

Yami nodded a er considering for a moment. "Fine. We leave at twilight." When both Yugi and Seto started to protest, Yami held up a hand to silence them. "It is almost dawn. We vampires cannot go now. It is also better to be rested." Seto frowned, but reluctantly agreed.

Yugi was twitching. He did not want to wait. He wanted to find Joey... _now_. Yami looked down on him. "Stay for me, please?" Yami asked tenderly, concern in his eyes. Yugi reluctantly nodded.

As everyone dispersed, promising to meet back at dusk, Yami took Yugi's hand. "Stay with me?" he asked simply. Yugi nodded, transforming back into human form. Yami led him into a large bedroom Yugi had never been in before. Inside was a four postered bed of deep cherry mahogany wood. Draping over it was a sheer netting. There was a fireplace on one side, with a small bistro table and 2 chairs. There were no windows. "My bedroom." Yami announced simply.

Yugi stopped, and gasped. There, above the fireplace, was a painting of him and Atem. It had always been their favorite. It was at a fountain in spring. Tears filled Yugi's eyes as he viewed the picture.

"I never stopped loving you, nor missing you." Yami murmured in Yugi's ear. "Come, let us sleep, for we will need our energy for tonight." Yugi nodded and crawled under the amethyst sheets, yawning.

"Why purple?" he said, curling up to Yami, his head on Yami's chest. "The color reminds me of your eyes, aibou." Yami pulled him in close, kissing his forehead, and both slept.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey ran. Joey ran with all his might. "Hurry! Follow me!" Crashing through the trees, limbs scratching his face, he kept running. "Rebecca, make sure we don' lose anyone!"

The yellow pigtailed girl ran as well. "I will, but you have to stay quiet or my invisibility spell means nothing!"

The group ran, pain in Joey's chest that had nothing to do with oxygen deprivation. Duke... and Serenity. God, how could he have let that happen to Serenity...Tears streamed down his cheeks. He would mourn properly later, but he, at least, avenged her. And Duke...poor Duke. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind and kept running.

Everyone was panting, burning sides, heaving breaths, as they crashed through the edge of the woods and kept running. "Yug, meet me at Yami's." he thought to his Alpha. Finally they ran up and crashed through the employee entrance. "Anzu, take 'em to the meetin' room. I'll go get Yam' an' Seto."

Anzu nodded, out of breath from flying. She ushered everyone upstairs as Yami and Yugi rushed out to him. "Joey!" Yugi threw himself into a hug, Yami standing back, looking over Joey worriedly.

Immediately, Seto appeared at Joey's side, grabbing Joey's head, inspecting Joey. Then, surpriaing everyone, Seto pulled Joey close, in a bone crushing hug. He gently pulled away, looking in Joey's eyes. "I am sorry about Serenity." He then gently kissed Joey's forehead.

Joey's head hung, tears welling up in his eyes. Ryou walked down the stairs with Rebecca. "Erm...excuse me?" The white haired caster interrupted. "Perhaps we should all assemble in the meeting room to discuss what happened and what danger we are in now? All from searching the night before are back as well."

Yami nodded. Ryou blushed. "Um, perhaps...Yugi...could put some clothes on? I know were are used to nudity, but many others are not." His chocolate eyes averting their gaze.

Yugi nodded, then looked at Yami. "I didn't bring a spare change of clothes?"

Yami smiled. In a few moments Honda appeared with some clothing. Yugi started putting them on, then s topped. "Are these mine from...before?" Amethyst orbs took in the Egyptian tunic, golden belt, and sandals.

Yami smiled sadly. "I could not bear to part with them. They smelled of you."

Yugi smiled, put the sandals on, and then went over to Joey. Joey looked at him, Seto never letting go of Joey's shoulders. Joey leaned down a bit and they rubbed heads together, comforting each other. Seto frowned slightly, but kept quiet due to Joey's need from his prowl. He did not understand this whole rubbing cat thing, but he knew Joey needed it.

After a few moments, everyone went upstairs, where a nervous energy was in the air. Yami got everyone settled down. Yugi sat on the floor again, beside Yami, his prowl coming to be around him, laying in a heap, comforting each other. Everyone had loved Duke, and Serenity was the baby sister of the whole prowl.

Seto sat on a loveseat, lying Joey down, Joey's head on Seto's lap. Joey started fidgeting. Seto sighed and stood up. He picked Joey up carefully in one arm, and in the other he picked up the sofa, dragging one end close to the prowl. He sat back down, laying Joey on him. Joey sighed, putting an arm down, as prowl leaned against him. "Thank you." Joey whispered. Seto nodded silently, putting his hand gently on the side of Joey's face.

Yami stood. "We are all very happy to have those of us back who were missing. We also mourn those we have lost. They will be honored. However, at this moment, we must know how you all escaped and as much information about Bakura as possible, so we are prepared. Now, who would like to start?"

Anzu sat in the back with four other fey. No one seemed to notice the amulet she wore, nor the tiny reflection of the white haired man in it, slamming his fist at the surface.

Chapter 23: Too Easy?

 _ **THERE BE LEMONS HERE. DO NOT READ PAST ()()() IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THE LEMON.**_

Joey sat up. "Bakura's dead. I ripped his throat out wi' my teeth. Tha's how we were able to escape. But Bakura has followers, and dey were followin' us. We lost 'em, but they may try to get back at us."

Yami frowned. This seemed too...simple. "Alright. Well...everyone should rest up tonight. Around 4am, we will meet back here to get drawings of the grounds and more information, since there appears to be more followers, but the biggest threat is...gone. Seto, please coordinate heightened security for the club, call in ones who are off , and offer them double pay. Also, Ryou..." he turned to the white haired boy, who had his arm around Rebecca. "Please ask some spellcasters to be on the alert and coordinate with security. Perhaps, say...five?"

Ryou nodded. "Of course."

As everyone dispersed, Seto took Joey's hand. "Sorry, Mutt, but you are going nowhere but to my bedroom tonight." As Joey started to growl tiredly at the name, Seto pulled him up into a kiss. "I can't lose you...I almost did tonight." Cobalt clashed with honey, until honey finally relented. Seto took a few minutes to set security in motion, and then led the tired wereleopard to a separate room on the basement floor.

Joey's eyes widened at the sight of the bedroom. There was a deep blue plush carpet on the floor, and a white metal four poster bed in the corner. To one side was a large white armoire. An oversized recliner set next to a glass table, a few books open on it, stacked at odd angles. Against the wall was an ornate fireplace made of a deep blue stone with silver flecks in it. Covering the bed was a deep blue velvet comforter, filled with down. Seto pulled the covers back, and there were luxurious sky blue sheets. Seto laid Joey down into a pile of clouds...at least that is what if felt like. Joey's eyes immediately closed.

Seto's eyes were still clouded with worry. He took off the cat's clothes, leaving the boxers on, and covered Joey up. He turned on a ceiling fan, and went out. "Allistair, guard this door. If anything happens to the one in there, your head will be on a platter for Rafael." Allistair nodded, his short brown hair bobbing with the movement. He went into alert status.

Seto walked down the hall and knocked on another door. Yami opened it, and then stepped out, after calling softly back into the room "I will be right back my love." A large, blond haired man with sunglasses was standing by that door. "Rafael, guard this door. No one but me or Seto is to enter." Rafael nodded.

Seto and Yami walked up to Yami's office. "It is dark, ya know...what's with the sunglasses? Is he dumb _and_ blind?" Yami said nothing, just assured that the door was closed. Yami sat down, looking at Seto. "Speak."

"Don't you think this is all too...easy?" Seto stated, staring straight at Yami.

"Yes, I do. I am trying to puzzle in my mind what the answers may be. I have asked others to come to help, as whatever is happening is spiraling out of control and threatens the entire supernatural world."

"You are _not_ saying what I think you are saying, are you?" Seto eyed Yami coldly.

"Yes, I am. I am inviting the werelions, werebears, dragons, unicorns, and centaurs here to help us, as well as having the Lords come. They should all be able to be here by 4am." Yami sighed heavily.

Seto glared at Yami. "Are you asking for a war? You _know_ the dragons, unicorns, and centaurs hate the Lords, and the feeling is quite mutual! Geez Yami, why are you opening our club up as Gettysburg?"

Yami looked at Seto and frowned. "You are being melodramtic, Cousin. All have my protection, and all will obey my wishes. It may be an uneasy truce, but it will be a truce."

Seto stood and walked out, heading back to his bedroom. "Whatever. I should sell tickets. This is going to be a bigger fight than Wrestlemania."

Yami rolled his eyes. He stood and headed back to his raison d'etre. Nodding at Rafael as he entered the door, he could not help but smile as Yugi was curled up in a ball, hugging Yami's pillow. Yami came over and, after not being able to budge the pillow from Yugi's grasp, gave up and went behind Yugi, lying with his chest in Yugi's back. Yami ran slim fingers over the youth's arms, causing unconscious goosebumps to appear.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami smirked. He leaned up and started gently nuzzling and kissing the spot right behind Yugi's ear. Yugi moaned a little in his sleep. Yami then started suckling on Yugi's ear gently, as he ran his fingers down the were's sides. Yugi's breath was picking up, and he was starting to squirm. He rolled onto his back, eyes still closed in sleep. His face was stating what a delightful time he was having.

Yami smiled even wider...Yugi just gave him more access. He straddled the sleeping figure and started kissing the neck, down the chest, and smiled as he saw Yugi's nipples straining for attention. As he leaned down and latched onto the right nipple, a large groan came from Yugi, his hips bucking up in ecstasy. Yami felt himself harden, feeling that exquisite passion that only Yugi could ever bring to him.

All of a sudden, he felt two hands in his hair. He looked up to see Yugi, out of breath, face flushed, staring at him. Atem lifted his lips. "Do you want me to stop?" he whispered, millimeters from Yugi's nipple.

"No, please...take me, take all of me." Yugi groaned as Yami kissed down further...further...further, slipping the boxers off, Yugi's erect member standing at attention, begging for Yami. Yami smirked and ran a tongue lightly over Yugi. Yugi became even more breathless. "Please Yami, please...oh, God." His back was arched, hips thrusting upward toward Yami. Yami could hold back no more and took Yugi fully in his mouth, running a tongue over Yugi's erect shaft, his left hand fondling Yugi's jewels. He kept moving, up and down, Yugi whimpering and writhing, hands in Yami's hair.

"Yami...please...let me help you, too." Yugi panted, pulling Yami towards him.

Yami leaned up. "No, aibou. This is for..."

Yugi never got to find out who this was for, as he grabbed Yami's shaft through clothing and gently started running fingers over the length, Yami's eyes rolling in the back of his head at the simple touch. Yugi easily flipped Yami over, ripping shirt, pants, and boxers off, hungrily taking Yami in his mouth. Now it was Yami's turn to arch and moan. Yugi's tongue did a delightful dance over Yami, putting appropriate pressure at the base. As Yugi lifted his head, he gripped Yami's shaft and started pumping, licking and sucking in a rhythm that was about to make Yami explode.

Finally, when Yami could have time to think, he grabbed Yugi. "On your side. Now." he rasped. Yugi looked confused, but did so. Yami then flipped his position and, laying on his side took Yugi full in the mouth, with his still erect manhood in Yugi's face. Yugi then smirked in realization and took Yami's full length in his. In a matter of moments, first crimson, then amethyst found their relief.

Yami crawled over to Yugi, adjusting position, covers, and pulled Yugi into his arms. Both slept peacefully, the doppelgangers spent and basking in their luck at finding each other again.

Chapter 24: The Sacrifice

Seto sat in the chair, trying to read a book. However, his eyes kept glancing back to Joey's sleeping form. Joey was very handsome when he wasn't being a doof. But he loved the doof part...it was so...polar opposite of Seto.

Seto sighed, rereading the same page for the sixty seventh time. Finally, he gave up and flung the book on the table. Damnit, he was worried. Seto Kaiba was _never_ worried. Concerned, perhaps, but not worried. Worry meant there was an emotional connection. Yet, here he was...worried.

Seto went over and sat down on the plush fcarpeted floor, head a mere two feet from Joey's sleeping form. He rested his head on the bed, studying Joey. Seto prided himself on being a cold, uncaring bastard...so how the hell did this mutt dig his way into Seto's igloo of a heart?

Joey's eyes opened slowly, staring right into cobalt. "Hey." he whispered.

"Hey, yourself." Seto whispered back.

"Sh...she's really gone, isn't she?" Seto hurt at the pain in Joey's eyes, at the tears spilling over Joey's cheeks. Seto swallowed, hard, nodding once. Joey closed his eyes and rolled over, his back to Seto. Seto silently watched as Joey's whole body shook in silent sobs. He reached a hand out, giving a reassuring pet to the back of his head.

Seto shook his head. This was that Bitch, Fate's, payback for all the times he put a cold shoulder to Atem's crying over Heba. But Atem would cry if Heba bit his tongue while eating. It got so that Seto just kinda ignored Atem's whining. To be fair, Atem was a pussy. Seriously, Seto felt the pain of Atem dying, and he was like a brother to Seto, even though they were cousins. Seto loved Atem. So he understood the pain of where Joey was coming from, and where Atem came from when Heba...

Seto's eyes shot open. He stared at the still quietly weeping form of Joey. Resolve formed in Seto's eyes and he turned, walking out the door.

It did not take Seto long to find who he was looking for. Ravyn was flirting with a regular while mixing his Pharaoh's Sunset. She just put the fruit in when Seto got her attention. "I need to speak to you, now. It is imperative." Ravyn nodded, informing the other bartender that she was taking her break as she handed the regular his drink and put a ten in the register.

"Fuck o , Ravyn...it's too bus...oh, h..hh..hello Master Seto. Get outta here Ravyn!" It was obvious the bartender did not see Seto in the beginning of the conversation, but noticed Seto pretty quickly after starting his bitching at Ravyn.

Ravyn followed Seto to a back room. When he closed the door, she crossed her arms and looked at him questioningly. Seto cut to the punch, "You know the story of Heba and Atem and how Heba saved Atem." It was a statement, not a question.

Ravyn nodded. Seto continued. "Can you do that?" Ravyn raised an eyebrow but nodded again. "Good." Seto continued. "I want you to bring Joey Wheeler's sister back. Resurrect her, bring her back as a vampire, whatever. Just bring _her_ back, not some demonic version of her." Seto finished.

Ravyn just looked at him incredulously. "How do you propose I do this?"

Seto looked at her coldly. "You are the necromancer. Do what you do."

"That's not what I meant. Seto, we don't have something Heba had." Seto raised an eyebrow. Ravyn sighed. "We don't have an intact body."

"Use Sean's."

"Can't. He wanted to be cremated."

Seto growled in frustration. Knowledge dawned in his eyes, and he let out a long breath. "Use me." he said with finality.

Ravyn's eyes bugged out of her head. "I can't do that! You would have to be dead! I don't mean undead, I mean no soul, life, unlife _in. Your. Body._ "

Seto shrugged. The thought of his mu...of his Joey being in this much agony was too much to take. He wanted Joey happy, even if he could not be with Joey. Joey loved Serenity so much more than Joey could love Seto, because of Joey and Serenity's history, their bond, and her innate goodness.

Ravyn backed away, hands up. "Uhhh, no. I have to go talk to Master Yami about this..."

"No." Seto responded, grabbing her wrist. "Do the ritual. Now."

Ravyn shook her head. This was fucking nuts. However, no matter how little Seto disregarded his life, or unlife, she valued hers, very much.

Ravyn nodded and positioned Seto on the floor. She pulled out a ceremonial dagger, and, chanting, raised her hands and the dagger above Seto. Seto watched as the dagger came down at his chest, the last thing he thought of was Joey's face as blackness engulfed him. "Goodbye, Joey. I do love you so." he whispered, as everything went cold and very, very black.

At that moment, in another part of the club, Ryou ran out of the conference room, frantic.

Also at that same moment, from the basement, Joey shot up in the bed, screaming "No!" as he tore out the door, trying to find Seto.

Chapter 25: Chaos Resurrection

"What the fuck ya tink yor doin'?" Joey yelled as Ravyn pulled the dagger out from Seto's chest. His honey eyes wide, unblinking, his brain trying to figure out and process the scene. He ran over to Seto, pulling Seto's lifeless body in Joey's lap. Ravyn never flinched, and never quit chanting.

At this point, Yami and Yugi had run in. Yugi skidded to halt, colliding with Yami's back since Yami had ran in and stopped at the sight of his cousin dead on the floor by someone he trusted and considered a friend. Yugi landed on his butt, as Yami was frozen as stone and did not even seem to notice Yugi. Ravyn kept chanting, a deep blue smoke curling around the blade, infusing it with an unearthly glow.

"Oh, dear." a soft British voice clipped, surveying the scene. Ryou walked in and put the scene together rather quickly. He also, just as quickly ran over and grabbed Joey. "Joey, you must lay him down, she is in the middle of a ritual!" Unfortunately for Ryou, Joey was strong and stubborn. Needless to say, he did not "lay Seto down." He shook Ryou off, shoving him, so Ryou went flying backwards and, unfortunately, as Ryou flew backwards, he also slammed into Ravyn, taking both of them down on the hard stone floor. Ravyn's eyes went wide and Ryou stood quickly. Yami ran over, Yugi on his heels, and helped Ryou up. Yugi went to help Ravyn; however, his eyes grew to the size of saucers at the sight. Imbedded in Ravyn's chest, a little below the sternum, was the dagger. Yugi, Ryou, and Yami all watched in horror as Ravyn's eyes became a bright, ice blue, and then dulled to a muddy black.

"Ravyn, please, stay with us. I am going to pull the dagger out and Ryou will heal you." Yami stated, looking at Ryou as Ryou nodded in agreement. It seemed that Ravyn was in too much pain to speak, so she couldn't agree or disagree. Yami wasn't even sure if she heard him. In any event, Yami grabbed the hilt and looked to Ryou. Ryou put his hands on either side of the dagger, a few inches away from the blade, and nodded at Yami. Yami then pulled the dagger quickly, as Ryou started casting, a soft silver glow coming from his hands. Yami sighed, staring at the wound starting to close. He looked up at Ravyn's face; her eyes closed. He heard Ryou quit chanting and looked to him. "Did it work?" he questioned. Ryou nodded in the affirmative after studying his work on Ravyn.

Yami sighed, then turned to the more difficult task, seeing after his dead cousin. Joey was still sitting before, staring at Seto's lifeless body, tears falling on Seto's emotionless face.

All of a sudden, Ravyn started screaming. "Where am I? Who are you? Who am I? Who are you?" Yami turned, completely confused. At that moment, Ravyn opened her eyes, and Yami, Yugi, and Ryou all gasped in horror. Ravyn's eyes were no longer pale, almost white, but instead were a swirling mass of brown and white.

"Get out of my head you bitch!" Ravyn was holding her head, pulling on her hair. "No, you get out of mine!" Yami just looked at Ryou in confusion. Yugi had scooted back in a protective position between Yami and Ravyn, ready to pounce to protect Yami. He had not transformed, but his body was humming with adrenaline, ready to attack (or transform) at a moment's notice.

Joey was still holding onto Seto, but the screaming had gotten his attention and he was watching from where he sat. All of a sudden he felt a hand on his. Joey looked at his hands and saw Seto's hand on Joey's. Joey's eyes widened in surprise and darted to Seto's face. Cobalt stared out from the brown bangs. "Did it work?" Seto croaked in weak confusion.

At that moment, all hell started breaking loose as the door was flung open and pretty much everyone that was to appear for the meeting was flooding in the door trying to figure out what was going on. Ryou took the opportunity to cast a spell, silver tendrils coming from his fingers, directed at Ravyn. As the tendrils curled around Ravyn's head, she started becoming quieter, eyes drooping, until she collapsed in sleep.

"What the _fuck_ just happened Ryou?" Yami asked, voice deadly calm. Everyone became silent. It was never good when Yami had that tone of voice.

Ryou cleared his throat. "Ah, yes...well...it appears that Ravyn was completing a soul transferrence ritual. However, when I..ah, bumped into her, she had not had a chance to complete the ritual until I completed it for her, in a manner of speaking..." Ryou was conscientious enough to look ashamed, even though it was not his fault he hit Ravyn.

Rebecca stepped in, at Yami's look of confused annoyance. "What Ryou is trying to say is that Ravyn was using Seto's life force to call a spirit from the Other Realm." Ryou coughed politely, and Rebecca stepped back.

Ryou continued. "Ravyn had gotten some kind of a spirit from the Other Realm, as it was coiled around the dagger. But instead of being able to seal it in Seto's body, thereby banishing Seto to nothingness since vampires have no soul, when the dagger entered her, the spirit entered her body instead, and Seto's life force returned to his body, since there was space for it again. How in the hell Ravyn and that other spirit are in the same body, though, I do not know. All I do know is, that we have to find a body and quick, or we will lose Ravyn and that other soul for good, as they will tear each other apart. We may still lose the unknown soul."

 _Great, just fucking great._ Yami thought to himself. _Now, not only do I have to worry about Bakura, but I have to find a way to save Ravyn and the Mystery Casper. And figure out what the hell possessed Seto to do something so...reckless. For Fuck's Sake. I just want to lay in bed, stare at Yugi, and revel in the fact that I have my other half back. Is that too fucking much to ask?_

Yami sighed. "Ryou, keep her asleep while we figure out what is going on. We still have to figure out this Bakura mess, too. How long do we have before we lose Ravyn?" Ryou nodded and some spellcasters came up, picking her up.

"I am not sure...24 hours perhaps? I will send some casters out to try to find an appropriate vessel for the other spirit. I will take her to your office when I can make her more comfortable. The more comfortable she is, the longer she will sleep. Do we know who Ravyn was summoning?" Ryou asked, looking around the room.

"Serenity." Seto croaked out quietly, as Joey's eyes widened.

Chapter 26: The Aftermath

"What da FUCK did you tink you were doing?" Joey yelled, still angry.

Seto sighed, still sitting on the bed. He was physically tired. Seems dying is an exhausting experience, who knew? Seto sighed again. It had been seven hours. SEVEN hours, and Joey was still steamed. To be fair, they had not been able to talk until about an hour ago. The first hour was keeping unicorns and centaurs from killing the lords and vice versa.

The next five hours were taken up in the latest meeting about Bakura, confirming he was dead, how to do that, best way to ensure he remained dead, etc. Seto was required to be there, dead or undead, it seemed. Seto had gotten bored enough at one of the tedious moments to coin it the Bakura Accords. In fact, the meeting ran so long that the vampire lords had to stay in guest coffins, since the sun's rays were rudely blocking the lords exits. It was finally decided to take fey, spellcasters, were, and lords out to track, trace, and confirm Bakura was no more. That would start the next night.

And then the last hour was spent like this. Joey yelling and stomping, Seto sitting quietly, watching Joey. It was starting to get old.

"I already told you, Mutt. I was trying to do something nice for you and bring your sister back." Seto sighed yet again, looking down at the simple gold band around his left ring finger. His wedding band from Kisara. He had never taken it off in all the thousands of years he had roamed this earth, looking for her.

"Ok, Mr. Undead-Dead-I-Think-I-Can-Control-Everything. News flash. You _cannot_ beat death...true death. Noone can. Serenity's gone. I..." his voice broke, "I can't get her back. So knock dis shit off!"

Ok, that did it. Maybe it was because Seto was tired for the first time in 1,000 years, maybe he was in a bad mood from being railed for the past hour, and maybe he was just sick of Joey's ungratefulness. Whatever it was, Seto snapped, standing abruptly and stalking over to Joey, shoving him against the wall, pinning his shoulders.

"I am _sick_ if being yelled at by you. I try to do something _nice_ for you, and this is the thanks I get? What the fuck yourself Joey. You love Serenity more than anything in this world. I was trying to make you feel better. But instead I get treated like I just killed your sister then raped her, instead of trying to save her! I was _trying_ to fill that hole in your soul that was created when Serenity died!" Seto's face flushed with anger, cobalt blazing.

Joey's eyes went from one of wide shock, to downcast. Quietly, Joey whispered, "You can't, Seto. If this would have succeeded, you woulda jus' made tings worse."

It took all 3,000 years worth of patience Seto had to not rip Joey's head from his body at that very moment. "Oh, how?" Seto quiered sarcastically. "God forbid you should get your sister back?" His eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak, only to stop at what he heard next.

"I love and miss Serenity, dat's true. But, female were have half the lifespan of male were, so I have kinda prepared m'self for the inevitable. I will prolly outlive her. But to outlive you..." honey shone up through a sheen of tears and curtain of eyelashes as he looked up at the older male, "I can't do that. That would be the definition of hell. You don' even haveta like me back. To know ya are safe an' happy, dat's all I want."

Seto stood, dumbfounded. Never in 3,000 years had anyone said something so heartwrenching to or about him. It struck him to the very core. Joey took Seto's silence as anger and shrugged dejectedly, slumping under Seto's shoulder and walking away after easily wiggling out of Seto's grasp.

Suddenly, Joey was flipped around, back to the wall just beside the door. "Wha'..." was all Joey got out as Seto's mouth overtook him, full of longing. Joey's eyes widened in surprise, and then slid closed, arms snaking up to go into Seto's hair. Seto's tongue danced along the inside of Joey's mouth, then Seto pulled away slightly, lips puffy, hooded eyes looking at Joey.

When Joey realized Seto was no longer at his mouth, he opened his eyes, passion sizzling behind them. "Se..."

Seto cut him off again, sucking on Joey's bottom lip, hands running up under Joey's shirt. Joey let out a low moan, looking at Seto. "S...Seto, you don' have to do this just causea what I said..." Joey glared as his traitorous arms ignored his wished and went around Seto's waist.

"I'm not." Seto stated simply. He put his forehead to Joey's. "I love you, Joseph Wheeler. Don't you get it? Your happiness means more than my personal welfare. Seeing you so upset about Serenity propelled me into action. I don't want tears here." He reached up and brushed away some of Joey's tears with his thumb.

Joey smiled, eyes sliding closed. Seto leaned up and kissed the tears on each cheek, then slid down and captured Joey's lips again.

Once the need for air became an annoying necessity for Joey, he pulled back slightly, gasping. Seto smirked, running a finger down Joey's jaw line. "Now, I really need to sleep. Near death really takes it out of you." Seto smirked as Joey glared, but nodded.

Seto grabbed Joey's hand and led him over to the bed. Releasing said hand, Seto slipped out of his clothes and crawled into bed. Joey stood staring at the unintentional strip tease with wide eyes. Seto looked at Joey, lifting up the covers. "Join me?"

Joey blushed, but quickly stripped down to his boxers and crawled in. Seto wrapped an arm around Joey's waist, nuzzling his head in Joey's neck, and immediately drifted off. Joey smiled and quickly chased Seto into the dark embrace of sleep.

The two men were asleep soundly, quite oblivious to many things. They did not notice the small pile of dust move in a vortex in the corner. They did not notice the door open and shut. They did not know that Allistair was standing frozen in a trance outside their door. And they most certainly did not hear the evil whispered chuckle that echoed ominously in the empty hallway.

Chapter 27: Only The Beginning

Yugi looked in the mirror, growling in frustration at his always uncontrollable locks. Yami stepped up behind him, kissing his ear, his hot breath snaking down Yugi's neck. "Aibou, are you nervous?" Yami smirked, staring at his love in the mirror.

Yugi glared. "N..no, of course not." His stomach becoming a home to a nest of butterflies as Yami's touch still flustered him.

"You look...delectable." Yami whispered while he smirked, keeping Yugi's gaze in the mirror. Still staring at Yugi, he ran his tongue down Yugi's neck. Yugi had nothing on but a shendyt with amethyst trim, adorned with amethyst stones, and a crimson strip down the middle. His feet were adorned with sandals, gold bands on his ankles and arms.

Desperate to break this moment so as not to just molest Yami right there, and trying desperately not to moan, Yugi piped up, "Hey...you aren't supposed to see me in the mirror. Hollywood says so."

Yup, that did the trick. Yami scowled, rolling his crimson eyes. "Yes, of course, and Hollywood _is_ the foremost authority on all things supernatural." Yami pulled back and stalked over to the door. Yami was also wearing a shendyt, trimmed in crimson, adorned with rubies, and an amethyst strip up the middle. He also wore a cream cape. He had sandals on as well; gold bangels on his ankles, arms, and a golden headband in his hair, partially covering his forehead. "That never even made any sense. A vampire has a body...and that is what a mirror captures." Yami scowled again.

Yugi giggled. He couldn't help it. Yami turned slowly, eyebrow arched. "What is so funny, aibou?" Yami was trying oh so hard not to smile, to hang onto his agitation, but Yugi's giggle was infectious.

"Hee..ha..hee..hee, you..just.. how _aggravated_ you get about Hollywood!" He burst into another fit of giggles.

Yami silently warred with himself, finally compromising and giving a half smile. "Come aibou, let us not make them wait any longer."

"You mean not make _you_ wait any longer." Yugi smiled. Yami had wanted to bond immediately, but both Yugi and Yami knew they would have to confirm the safety of Domino before turning to personal desires...and that confirmation had only come two days ago after two long weeks.

Bakura was gone. After several searches, spells, and _ahem, visits_ with Bakura's henchmen, it was determined that Bakura was indeed gone. Joey had killed him. But where his body was, was still a mystery. It made Yugi and Yami uneasy, but they were assured that this time, Bakura was gone for good. Ryou's ritual had confirmed that. Still, to take precautions, Bakura's main henchmen were being held in the dungeon prison.

Ravyn was being kept in a magic induced coma, as a solution had not been discovered for her yet.

Yugi slipped his hand in Yami's, and walked out on the balcony. Looking down on humans, were, fey, spellcasters, a few unicorns, centaurs, and a couple angels, along with the other vampire lords, Yami's presence commanded silence. Seto appeared out of the shadows, a golden rope in his hands.

Holding the rope above his head, Seto stated in a booming voice. "It is my understanding that you two are bonding." Both Yami and Yugi looked at Seto, nodding. "This is not a light undertaking; the Thregant Bond will bond you both for life. When one dies, the other will also." Seto's cobalt eyes took in each of the two dopplegangers standing in front of him, his white priest robe somehow managing to flare out ever so slightly at the base.

Satisfied that both Yami and Yugi understood and respected the Thregant Bond, he took Yami's left hand and Yugi's right hand and put them palm to palm. He then started wrapping the cord around their arms, joining them. After he completed that, he turned to Yami. "Yami, you may proceed."

Yami smiled tenderly at Yugi. Yugi smiled back and bared the right side of his neck. Leaning over, Yami whispered in Yugi's ear, "I am sorry aibou. This will hurt. I cannot penetrate your mind and deceive it into thinking this is pleasureable."

Yugi breathed softly back. "I am yours, do as you will with me." He smiled, his eyes staring at Yami, full of love and trust. Yami's heart caught in his throat, and he bent down, smelling the sweet scent of Yugi's skin. He opened his mouth, baring his fangs, and punctured the tender flesh of Yugi's neck. As Yugi's lifeblood slid into his mouth, Yami was overcome with sensations. Yugi's blood was the most...amazing...thing he had ever tasted. It tasted sweeter than the sweetest chocolate. It was like Yugi was a glass of cold water to Yami's parched soul that had been traveling the desert these 3,000 years. Flashes of memories of the two of them, as Heba and Atem, and as Yami and Yugi, flashed through his mind. He slid back slowly, eyes half lidded, looking at Yugi.

Yugi stood there, purring, eyes half lidded as well. Seto looked at Yugi. "Now it is your turn." Yugi took Yami's right hand, never breaking eye contact. He concentrated on just transforming his teeth. When his incisors were sharp enough, he bit down at the wrist, and then started licking the red liquid that slid in a rivulet down Yami's arm. After a few moments, he pulled away, licking his lips.

The audience was in hushed silence as they saw the shadow of a leopard walk over and envelope Yami, slicing the rope as it did so. "It is done." Seto said with finality. He then turned, walking away. Yami smiled at Yugi. "This is only the beginning." He leaned over and tenderly kissed his other half.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Seto walked downstairs, searching. He saw Joey talking to Honda, a beer in his hand. Seto came up from behind, and put his hand on Joey's ass.

"Nyeh!" He turned, fist cocked back and ready, until he saw who it was. "Damnit Seto, you scared da shit outta me!"

Seto smirked and grabbed Joey by the neck, pulling him into a passionate kiss. Joey moaned into the kiss, beer slipping from his fingers, forgotten. Fingers danced up Joey's sides, eliciting a shiver from the blonde. "How do ya do dat?" He whispered, eyes dark with desire.

Seto smirked. "That? That was just a taste, Mutt. That's only the beginning of what I plan on doing to you in the time to come."

Joey let out a low growl of lust. "We need to go on our first date. _Soon._ " Seto smirked.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

She was smiling, enjoying herself. She fingered the amulet around her neck as she watched all of the interactions happening around her. She felt all the emotions, hopes, and fears of everyone in the club. It was pure chaos when mixed together. Ahh, chaos. What a lovely word. Chaos...she loved it. She _was_ a chaos demon after all. She thrived on chaos. It is what gave her more power. She threw her head back, laughing. Oh yes, this was only the beginning...

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

To be continued in Book Two of the Chaos Saga, _**Duality Chaos**_ **.**


	2. Duality Chaos

Chapter 1: First Date

"Do I look okay?" Joey tried to smooth down his hair, the bangs stubbornly refusing to tame. Yugi chuckled.

"Joey, Seto has seen you in nothing but jeans, bloody, and almost dead. You look great, comparatively." Joey rolled his eyes.

"Not. Helping." Joey growled, and turned back to the mirror. He smoothed his black jeans, and re-tucked his cobalt shirt into said jeans.

Yugi could not help but smile at his oldest friend. He knew Joey was nervous. "You're going to be fine. Seto already loves you, so the pressure is off."

Joey looked at Yugi in the mirror. "But what if I screw it up? I screw e'rything up. This is important." Honey eyes pleading with the amethyst that stared back at him.

Yugi sighed. "Joey, you are too hard on yourself. You are one of the most loyal and loving people I know. You will be fine."

"I hope so." Joey sighed, looked in the mirror one more time, and then headed out the door and towards the club.

At the same time as Joey was leaving and heading to the club, inside said club, The Pyramid, a cobalt eyed vampire was slipping his coat on. He looked in the mirror to confirm that everything would be in its proper place. "You look fine."

Seto turned from the mirror to look at the voice that spoke. The tri color haired vampire lounged on the bed, his crimson eyes staring at Seto. "I didn't ask." Seto replied coldly.

"Why, Seto, I think you may be _nervous_." the baritone voice chuckled.

"Yami, I am not, and never will be, _nervous_." Seto said, emphasizing the last word slightly. He started walking to the door.

Yami smirked. "Whatever." Seto stopped, turning his head slightly and narrowing those cobalt eyes. He huffed and walked out the rest of the way, heading down to the Sphinx bar to wait.

It did not take long before Joey loped in, eyes locking with Seto's. Seto smirked and pushed away from the bar, walking purposefully, but calmly, over to Joey. "Mutt." he smirked.

"Now, damnit, Seto..." Joey started, but Seto bent down and took Joey's lips greedily in his. Sucking on Joey's bottom lip as he pulled away, Seto's ice cold blue eyes had sparks in them.

"What?" he whispered seductively.

"Uh..." Joey's brain could not work right...it was all muddied up by lust right now. Seto stared at Joey, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Le...le's get going."

Seto smiled. "Right." He walked to the front of the club, Joey following behind. Once outside the entrance, a sleek, black limousine was waiting, with a tall, stocky, short brown haired man standing by the door. Joey looked to Seto for just a moment before tentatively climbing in, looking like he was afraid he was going to break something. Seto followed closely behind, the door shutting after him.

"Who dat?" Joey asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Roland, my driver." Seto pulled out a bottle of champagne from an ice bucket and filled a flute partially full. Smirking, he pulled out another bottle and poured it half full of a white liquid. He handed that glass to Joey and took the champagne for himself. He raised his glass, clinking Joey's.

Joey looked suspiciously at his glass, but then sipped it. He glared at Seto, who almost did a spit take at the look on Joey's face. "What? I thought cats loved milk." How Seto kept a straight face, he would never know.

"Ha, ha real funny bloodsucka." Joey guiltily drank the milk, purring ever so slightly at the taste.

Seto smirked. "Wha? Whaizzit?" Joey asked, looking at Seto. Seto leaned over, sticking his tongue out and ever so gently licking the drop of milk from the corner of Joey's mouth, never taking his eyes off of Joey's eyes. Joey's breathing picked up.

The car stopped then, and Seto's door opened. Seto leaned back, never taking his eyes off of Joey, and climbed out of the car, handing the empty champagne flute to Roland. Joey jumped out, handing his to Roland as well, blushing a deep burgundy.

They were in front of a large theater. Joey raised an eyebrow questioningly. Seto took Joey's hand and led him inside the empty, but fully lit theater.

Seto went to the two best seats in the house and sat down. Joey sat next to him, still looking confused. Right as the lights dimmed, he saw Seto smirk.

The lights then came up on the stage. The scwnw looked to be of an alley, with some pipes. A cat came out center stage. Realization dawned on Joey. Joey tried hard to look offended, but secretly, he was thrilled. He had always wanted to see the musical "Cats". Now he got to have his very own personal showing. He quickly lost himself in the musical.

Seto was lost too, in Joey. He did not see the performance, only Joey's reaction to it. He lost himself in the experience that was Joey. He felt himself falling in love even more with every laugh, every smile, every scowl, and every frown that Joey made.

When the musical was over, Joey jumped up, giving a standing ovation. He then proceeded to whoop and holler his appreciation. Seto smiled and stood, clapping gracefully.

Seto them took Joey's hand and led him back out to the limosuine. Joey's nose perked up at the smell that wafted out when Roland opened the door. "Pizza! I am starving!" He dived into the limo and proceeded to start stuffing his face full of the hot cheesy delicacy. Seto crawled in next to Joey and watched Joey devour an entire large pizza by himself. Joey looked up guiltily as he finished off the last slice. "Uhhh, you hungry?"

Seto smirked. "Why, yes, I am. I thought you would never ask." He crawled over to Joey. Eyes never leaving Joey's. Joey scooted back until his back hit the door. "Now, now...dis is our firs' date..." he said shakily.

"You don't want me?" Seto asked quietly, still keeping his eyes locked with Joey's.

"I...I never said dat." Joey was breathing heavily. "I..it's just dat...aren't we supposed ta kiss or sumthon first..."

Seto gave a predatory smile. "Okay." He proceeded to kiss on Joey's neck, suctioning ever so slightly. Joey felt himself harden in his pants at that light touch. Seto nipped the skin of Joey's neck, causing Joey to twitch. Joey's eyes flew open, hooded.

"My turn" he whispered breathily, flipping so Seto was laying on his back, Joey stradling him. Shock registered for just a moment in Seto's eyes, followed by pleasure as Joey leaned down and started kissing Seto's abdomen, pulling Seto's shirt up for better access. Joey trailed kisses as far as he could, until the damn shirt was nothing but in the way.

"Sorry." Joey whispered. Seto opened his mouth to ask what, as his shirt and coat were ripped off of him, leaving him bare chested in the pile of clothes. Seto chuckled as Joey kissed up farther, licking, sucking, and biting on the pale nubs straining for attention on Seto's chest.

Seto's chuckle turned to a growl as the car door was opened. Roland stood there. "Sir, we are back at The Pyramid."

Seto climbed out. Joey got shakily out, legs rubbery. Seto looked at Joey with a primal hunger, as Joey stood, breathing heavy, lips swollen. "Fuck it, you're mine." He grabbed Joey over the shoulder and headed to his bedroom in the basement of the club.

Chapter 2: Reappearances

Seto closed the door, still holding Joey over his shoulder. Setting Joey down on his feet, Seto looked at Joey, and spoke very quietly, but forcefully. "Joey, I love you. I know it is crazy, I know it is quick, but I know I love you."

Joey's eyes widened. His Adam's apple bobbed noticeably. "Seto, I...I do not know what ta say. It seems crazy I can feel so strongly about ya, especially when ya are a jackass most of da time. But..." his honey eyes studied Seto's face. So quietly, Joey whispered, "I do love you." Joey leaned over, and rubbed his cheek along Seto's face, Joey's eyes sliding closed, a purr escaping his lips.

Seto closed his eyes, smiling softly. "Are you marking me?"

Joey smiled, keeping his eyes closed. He chuckled, "Yea, I guess so." Joey felt his guard dropping as he acknowledged, truly acknowledged, his feelings for Seto.

Seto felt Joey wrap his left arm around Seto's waist, placing his right hand over Seto's bare chest, right where his heart was. Seto put his forehead to Joey's, running his hand up under Joey's shirt and touching the skin covering Joey's heart.

At that contact, Seto felt his breath leave him. Seto's eyes still closed, all he could see was Joey...

Joey as a baby, crying in a bed. Seto felt Joey's hunger and cold.

Joey, running through the woods, bones snapping, transforming for the first time. Seto took a sharp intake of breath as he felt the pain of transformation.

Joey, talking to Yugi about the Domino Prowl. Fierce pride and protection welled up in Seto about the prowl.

Joey, staring at Seto, confessing his love. Seto stumbled at the depth of the love Joey felt for Seto. "What have you done to me, Mutt?" Seto whispered, eyes flying open. Joey was just looking at Seto, in shock.

"We...we just...fused." Joey whispered, mouth dry.

Seto sat down on the bed, slowly. "What does 'fused' mean?" he asked slowly and carefully.

Joey sighed heavily. "Fusion is... very significant to us wereleopards. It...well...it means you are my mate."

Seto raised an eyebrow, stating wryly, "Glad we got our first date in."

Joey smiled, then sat down on the floor, putting his head on Seto's knee, staring up at Seto's face. Joey's face turned serious. "It is more dan dat...at least on my end. I'm bonded to ya. If you hurt, I hurt. If you die...so do I. We can share energy between each other. There will be no other for me. I already had eyes only for ya...but now, it's even more so. Basically, we are one. I guess it's kinda like that Thregant Bond thing? In any event, I'm yours. Only yours." Joey's honey eyes shown with sincerity and passion.

Seto smiled, putting a hand on Joey's hair. "Mutt, I..."

At that moment, there was a knock on Seto's door. Seto growled. "Go away." The knocking continued. Seto growled louder, "Go. Away." The knocking continued happily again. Seto stood, striding to the door. "This had better be good."

He jerked open the door. There, standing at the door was a petite woman, with pale skin, light hair that had a blue sheen to it, and pale blue eyes. "Ki..Kisara?" Seto croaked, shocked.

"Seto!" She threw her arms around Seto's neck. She pulled Seto into a kiss, Seto woodenly moving toward her. "I have missed you, my husband." Joy shone from her face.

Joey felt nauseous. He could feel Seto's surprise, agitation, confusion, and...love... At that, Joey felt the pizza threatening to come up, tears threatening to overflow. He felt his heart fall to his feet as he ran out past Seto and Kisara, dodging Seto's arm that reached out for him.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Ryou was walking in the moonlight, mind wandering far away to the events of the past couple of months. Ryou was so pleased that Yami had finally found Heba. Ryou and Yami had had many talks, and Ryou knew Yami's soul hurt without Heba...Yugi...whichever.

Ryou smiled to himself. Slowly his smile faded into a frown. As happy as he was for his friend, his heart was still lonely. There was a space that was empty, always full of longing. He stared up at the stars. He smiled as he saw a star streak toward the horizon. Looking around to make sure noone was looking, he wished again for a mate. As the star faded from the sky, he shook his head, smiling at his flight of fancy.

Suddenly, Ryou went flying forward, his foot tripping over something. He threw his hands out in front of him to catch himself. Landing with a painful twist to his elbow, he sat down, looking to see what he tripped over.

Ryou's eyes widened, seeing a tangled mass of red cloth. "Bloody hell, is that a person?"

Ryou gently tried to disentangle the form, rolling the figure over on it's back. Ryou's eyes went wide as he fell backwards on his butt. "What the hell?" Ryou stared at the figure. There, lying on the ground, was the spitting image of Ryou.

Dark coffee eyes fluttered open, catching the soft chocolate eyes in his gaze. "Where. The. Fuck. Am. I? And. Who. The. Fuck. Are. You? "

Ryou scooted backwards a bit farther. "I am Ryou." he squeaked. "You are?" he quiered, praying that he was wrong.

"I don't know." the doppelganger said roughly, covering his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes.

Chapter 3: Emotions

Ryou looked at his twin. "Bakura?" he said tentatively.

Coffee eyes snapped up. "Yes! Yes, that is my name! Do I know you? Because..." a predatory smile covering his face, "I am sure I would know you intimately..."

Ryou blushed. "N..no, not like that. You, uh...tried to kill my friends and raise Shezmu." Ryou scooted back imperceptibly.

"Why the fuck would I do that? Shezmu is an evil fuck who would kill me if I raised him. Oh, fuck me..." he looked at Ryou, recognition dawning in his eyes. "That fucker impersonated me _again_? Damnit! The fucker got me killed 3,000 years ago, now that bastard is at it again!" Bakura stood, pacing, his hair fluffing out, two little horns of hair becoming more prominent near his forehead.

"Uh...pardon me?" Ryou asked, covertly casting a spell.

"That fucking chaos demon!"

"Pardon, but what is a 'chaos demon'?" Ryou's eyes were lit up with curiosity.

"A fucking twat who gets his rocks off on chaos. It's like his energy, for fuck's sake. He churned massive amounts of it!"

Determining that Bakura was indeed telling the truth, Ryou stood. "Perhaps you should come back with me; perhaps my friends can help. You can explain when we get there."

Bakura eyed his petite mirror image. "And you can promise I won't die how?"

"Well, I really can't. But I can promise you have a better chance coming with me rather than wandering around and letting one of them find you." Chocolate eyes pleading with Bakura, he finally relented.

"Fine. But I am not going anywhere until I can trust you." Bakura narrowed his eyes, studying Ryou.

Ryou looked at Bakura. "Trust me?!" He looked shocked.

"Yea. Trust you." Bakura stalked towards Ryou, who backed up until he scooted into a tree. Bakura leaned down, one hand on each side of Ryou's face.

"How...how will you know that?" Ryou whispered.

Smirking, Bakura grabbed Ryou, pulling him up and into a crushing kiss. Ryou's eyes opened wide in surprise, then slid closed, a whimper escaping his lips.

Bakura leaned back, smirking. "Yep, I can trust you."

Ryou's eyes flew open, a blush staining his cheeks. "How..how do you know that?" he whispered.

"Because, you're like me. You look like me, kiss like me, and probably fuck like me. I am fucking awesome, and I trust myself, so I trust you. Hell, you make my narcissistic loins sweat." He smirked.

Ryou sighed. "Come with me. We can't just waltz you in like this."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami sat at his desk, deep in thought. So deep in thought, that he didn't notice his door open, then close. Something was...wrong. Off. Suddenly, he realized he wasn't alone in his office. Looking up, he saw concerned amethyat staring at him.

"I am glad I guard you. If I would have been an enemy, I would have slit your throat." Yugi frowned, sitting on the desk in front of Yami. "What's wrong? You aren't often distracted that badly." He reached out, tenderly stroking Yami's cheek.

Yami sighed, looking up at Yugi. "Something is..." Yugi suddenly grabbed his chest, face paling.

Yami jumped up, grabbing Yugi. "What is wrong, aibou?" At that moment, Joey rushed in the office, face soaked in tears. Joey immediately ran to Yugi, grabbing him in a hug. Both started rubbing their faces against each other for comfort.

"Would someone like to explain to me what is going on?" Yami asked worriedly, still not letting go of Yugi.

"Joey..." Yugi started, but was interrupted by Seto storming into Yami's office, Kisara in tow. Yami's mouth fell open.

"Joey!" Seto glowered. Kisara looked confused standing behind Seto, holding his hand.

 _You have got to be fucking kidding..._ Yami started thinking, only to be interrupted by Ryou coming in with afigure covered in a blanket. Ryou looked at everyone in the room, eyes wide. "Uh, I do believe this is the wrong time..." Ryou began, until the blanketed figured started flailing under the blanket.

"For fuck's sake, let me the _fuck_ out of here. This is fucking ridiculous. I am being treated like a fucking leper!" The blanket stated.

Joey glanced at Kisara holding Seto's hand and rushed out, dodging Seto. Seto glowered and started after him. Kisara stopped Seto, holding his hand. "Seto, let him go...whatever is upsetting him, he needs time alone." she said softly. "And so do we. We have a great deal of catching up to do." She smiled at him gently, and started tugging him towards downstairs. Seto turned tortured eyes to Yami, who shrugged helplessly, completely confused. Seto sighed and followed Kisara out, closing the door behind him. Ryou was quietly trying to edge out with BlanketMan.

"Ryou...nice try, but you are not l..." as the blanket fell away.

"For fuck's sake Ryou, why the fuck did you put me under a..." all of a sudden, Yami let out a primal growl and launched at...

"Bakura!" Yami screamed, claws extending, Yugi shoved behind him.

Ryou appeared in front of Bakura, shielding him from Yami's wrath. "No!" Ryou pleaded, eyes large. Yami barely stopped.

"Ryou, move. This... _butcher.._.killed my Heba. I will not lose my Yugi again."

Ryou stood taller. "No. There are things you need to know."

Yami stopped, growling, his arm possessively around Yugi. "Ryou, because I trust and respect you, you have 45 seconds. Go."

"Bakura was kidnapped and impersonated by a chaos demon. This chaos demon impersonates him as Rakuba, and now is impersonating him as Bakura. I know this to be the truth because I cast a spell to detect deception." Ryou stood in front of Bakura, who had enough intelligence to remain quiet.

Yami glowered. "Take him to the spare room, under the blanket. I will call a meeting to discuss this whole situation tomorrow. Keep him out of sight, or I cannot guarantee his safety. If what you say is accurate, we are in even more danger than before." Ryou nodded, throwing the blanket back over Bakura.

"Fuck a rubber duck, not again, really?" The blanket kept grumblimg as Ryou led him out.

Yami turned back to Yugi. Sighing, he sat down on a couch, pulling Yugi in his lap. "Aibou, I do not know what to do. I cannot put you in harm's way again. Having Bakura here fills me with dread. I cannot lose you again." Yami's eyes got glassy.

Yugi put a hand on each side of Yami's face. Yugi captured Yami in a gentle kiss. "Yami, you won't lose me again."

Yami looked up, eyes tortured. "You cannot promise that. Aibou, I do not know how to show you the love I have for you. Or explain how I couldn't continue without you. You complete me, filling that empty section of my heart."

Yugi took Yami's hand. "Come, my love." Yami followed Yugi, quietly. He had no idea where Yugi was taking him. Down the stairs the pair went, until they came to Yami's door. Yugi pushed it open, leading Yami inside. Shutting the door behind them, Yugi took them to the painting. Yami turned, raising an eyebrow questioningly at Yugi.

"That is how much you love me." He turned and pointed at the clothes from ancient Egypt. "And that is how much you love me." And Yugi took Yami over, setting him on the purple sheets. "And that is how much you love me." Leaning down, Yugi whispered, "And this is how much you love me." Yugi leaned in, kissing Yami gently, tongue running over Yami's bottom lip.

"And this...this is how much I love you." Yugi took his right hand, placing it on Yami's chest, forehead to forehead. Using his left, he took Yami's and placed it over his heart.

Yami lost his breath. There was Heba, realizing he loved Atem, but the feeling was not returned. Yami's chest hurt.

Heba was staring at Atem's lifeless body. Yami lost his footing and slid to his knees in sorrow.

Heba was kissing Atem, realizing the love each had for the other as Atem grew stronger and Heba's life dwindled. Tears flowed from Yami's eyes.

Then, Yugi became Alpha. Yami felt such pride and protection for the prowl.

Finally, Yami saw Yugi bonding with Yami. The force of love radiating from Yugi was overpowering Yami's senses.

Yugi bent down, kissing Yami once more. "We are fused."

Chapter 4: The Split

Blood dripped down the slit in her neck. Those pretty blue eyes would never see the light of day again. They would never have a chance to kill _her_ again. She knew about true death. And she was going to make sure Anzu had a true death...no matter the cost. As one of the last few gurgles were being exhaled, the life draining, she put her nose right to that bitch's face.

"Anzu, you lost. You thought _you_ could usurp me? I have been, and always will be, your superior. You think you are the deliciousness that is Chaos? Bitch, please...I AM Chaos. And now, using Exodia, you will be no more."

She took the dark crimson blade with the obsidian handle. Anzu's blue eyes grew wide. She started whimpering, "Please, no...Maelstrom, no!" She screamed, as the dagger pierced Anzu's heart, destroying her soul, ceasing any chance of a resurrection or reincarnation.

Looking at Anzu's lifeless body, Maelstrom just laughed. "You should not have crossed me. I _am_ The Chaos Demon, bitch." She grabbed the necklace from Anzu's neck, spitting on Anzu's lifeless body as she walked off.

However, now Maelsteom had a problem. She had to release Exodia's power, or it would threaten to destroy her. Exodia never took without giving. That was the bitch of Exodia, the tradeoff for a being's complete obliteration from existence.

A noise caught her attention, to her left. Quickly she turned to the source, going invisible.

A blond with lilac eyes walked into the clearing, puffiness surrounding said eyes. "Duke...Serenity." he whispered, sitting down near two stone monuments stuck crudely out of the ground. He laid some flowers by each marker. "I miss you both, so very much."

Exodia started humming and vibrating in her hand. Maelstrom shrugged. Malik was as good as any. She walked out, Malik sobbing softly. Sneaking up behind Malik, she sunk the blade deep in his left shoulder, leaving it for just a moment before yanking it out and taking flight.

Malik howled in pain, whipping around to figure out what just happened, as a gust of wind hit his face. All of sudden, Malik felt a burning sensation, starting in his feet and slicing up through the center of his being, escaping from his skull...and then all went black.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Opening his eyes, Malik had what had to be the most horrific of all migraines. As his eyes started to focus, he remembered what had happened, and went on alert, trying to sense danger. At that moment, he noticed someone laying by Duke and Serenity's markers. Someone...naked, with a blonde tail, blonde hair, and blonde ears. What the hell...

"H...hello?" Malik asked. "Are you okay?"

The figure turned slowly, lilac eyes showing a slight maniacal glint.

"Holy hell!" Malik slid back as he looked at his double. "What the hell?"

"Hello my pretty." His maniacal double cackled.

"Wha...what is going on?" Malik scooted back. "Who are you?"

His doppelganger smiled. "I am you...your dark and crazy side that you never let out. I am your yami. You are my hikari."

"Oh, fuck no." Malik whispered, eyes wide. "No, no, no...I am a good leopard."

"Yes, you are..." the twin started stalking Malik.

"Wha...what do you want?"

"You." Deep, dark and primal.

Malik gulped, ignoring rhe primal tingle that word elicited. A dark chuckle escaped his twin's lips.

"H...how did this happen?" Malik whimpered pitifully.

"Exodia. And, by the way... _I_ am Malik...so you need a different name." Self proclaimed Malik stated.

The Leopard Formerly Known As Malik stood, backing away. "That's my name!"

"Not anymore. Now you are Marik. I am Malik...as I always have been." New Malik stalked towards New Marik, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

Mal...er Marik put his hands up. "Okay, okay...let's get you back to my Alpha...he will know what to do. C...can you transform your ears and tail away?"

Malik looked at Marik. "Of course, but why would I want to? They're fun."

Marik sighed. This was going to be difficult to say the least. He just shook his head, leading Malik back to the prowl house.

Chapter 5: Bonds

LEMON ABOUNDS BETWEEN THE ####### MARKS; DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ.

Seto sat down on the bed, staring at Kisara. He felt so...confused. Kisara sat next to him, smiling, concern showing through her eyes.

"Seto, I am sorry this is sudden. I have been trapped for so long in Exodia. I was just released. I never stopped loving you." Tears formed in her eyes. She flung her arms around him, pulling him close. Her body felt so...familiar, warm, and soft.

Seto hugged her back, breathing in her scent. He _had_ missed her. He had been searching for her for 3,000 years. He had never quit loving her. She pulled back, smiling up at him. "How long has it been?" she asked, a hint of worry in her face.

Seto sighed, disentangling himself from her and walking over to the fireplace. "Three thousand years." he whispered. He heard her gasp.

"Three...thousand?" she whispered. Seto nodded, still not looking at her. "Then...what are you?" she whispered.

Seto turned around, cobalt studying her. "What do you remember?" he asked.

Kisara looked down, ashamed. "Only bits and pieces. There are holes in my memory, some parts I can tell something is missing, some parts I cannot. I thought it had only been about six months since I last saw you." A tear slipped down her cheek.

"I am a vampire. I never stopped looking for you." he stated. She looked up, smiling. "You didn't forget about me?" she asked, liquid diamonds sliding down her cheeks.

Seto sighed, his heart hurting. "No."

Kisara came over, hugging him again. "Oh, Seto...I do love you so." She pulled him down into a gentle kiss, full of longing. "Always my hero, my protector."

After a few moments, Seto pulled away. "Kisara, I...I need some time to digest everything. Stay here, please? I need some air."

Kisara smiled sweetly at him. "Of course. I will lie here and rest, waiting for you my sweet husband." She smiled again, lying down.

Seto turned, walking out. Turning to Allistair, "Noone in or out of this room but me, got it?" Allistair nodded.

Seto walked around aimlessly, his thoughts a jumbled mess. He had no clue what was going on in his life, except that it was pure chaos. As he wandered, his feet took him around the club, to different areas. Finally, they led him to the indoor garden Yami had demanded be put in the upper floors. It was a multi level area, full of lush vegetation; plants, trees, ponds. It was indoor, so it was temperature regulated. He was walking, not looking where he was going, when he stumbled and fell over a figure on the ground. Seto's eyes narrowed. That ball looked like...

"Joey!" Seto stated hoarsely. Joey jumped guiltily up, face red, eyes puffy. Joey's face registered surprise, then sorrow and pain.

"S..sorry." Joey mumbled, moving to leave.

"No, don't. Stay." Seto held out a hand to help Joey up. Joey scooted away from the hand like it was a venomous cobra.

Seto dropped his hand, looking at Joey. His heart ached seeing Joey so upset. He sighed. "I never meant to hurt you." Seto whispered. "I...I had searched for her for so long. Then I found you...now here she is..." Seto turned pained eyes to Joey.

Joey stared back, hating the pain and confusion in his love's eyes. Joey let out a big sigh, then his head dropped, hangingly dejectedly. "Is okay. I'm usedta being in the way." Joey stated, heart breaking in his chest as he spoke. "I won't bother ya." He stood, walking past Seto.

Seto couldn't help it. He couldn't let this be the way they parted...he ... this was all so sudden. Seto reached out grabbing Joey's arm, stopping Joey. Joey stood stock still, not moving. "Wha' ya want?" he asked, eyes staring a hole in the ground.

"Joey...I...I just...would you look at me when I talk to you?" Seto said gruffly. When Joey refused to lift his head, Seto turned Joey's body to him, lifting Joey's chin. "Look, Joey..."he lost his train of thought as those eyes looked at him...those deep pools of honey.

And before he knew it, naturally and without thought, he had pulled Joey against him, his lips kissing Joey's. A soft mewl escaped Joey's lips before he started kissing Seto back. Seto leaned Joey back against a tree, kissing down Joey's neck. Joey's breathing picked up, as he was drowning in these sensations.

##########################

Seto looked up, smiling at the noises Joey was making. Seto ripped Joey's shirt off, kissing all over the tanned chest and abdomen. Joey's hands went into Seto's hair, as he arched his back from the tree, towards Seto's lips.

Seto kissed down to the waist of Joey's jeans, running a hand over the bulge forming there. Joey moaned, low. Cobalt eyes darkened, and he pulled Joey to the ground, bruising Joey's lips in a kiss. "Seto...please..." Joey whimpered, looking to Seto.

Seto felt himself twitch in his pants at that comment, and he jerked Joey's jeans and boxers off, so Joey was laying there in all his naked glory. Seto felt himself harden painfully in arousal staring at Joey. Leaning down, he took Joey's erect member in his mouth. Joey's eyes flew open, then sunk closed at the exquisite sensations Seto was creating as he swirled his tongue over the head, up and down the shaft, licking and sucking with just the right amount of pressure.

Suddenly, it all stopped. Joey's eyes opened; Seto was staring down at him with a soul crushing look of love on his face. "Let me make love to you." Seto whispered. Joey could do nothing under that gaze but nod his acquiescence.

Seto somehow managed to get out of his clothes; Joey had no idea when that happened. Seto ran a hand up Joey's face, and gently laid his fingers on Joey's mouth. Joey opened his mouth, sucking on Seto's fingers, never losing eye contact.

Seto leaned down, kisssing Joey gently as he inserted a finger gently, giving Joey's body time to adjust. After an adequate amount of time and kissing, he added a second, and slowly started a scissoring motion. He did that again for a third. Finally, he leaned back, looking at Joey. "Ready?"

Joey kept watching Seto, nodding slowly. "Make me yours." he whispered. It took everything he had, but Seto entered Joey slowly; Joey still winced "I'm sorry, Love...it will get better." Seto watched and gauged on how much to put in, and when, until he was in to his hilt. After he could tell Joey was acclimated to his girth, he started moving, slowly.

Seto could tell instantly when the pain gave way to pleasure. Joey started moaning as Seto hit that spot, arching his back and moaning Seto's name. Seto started speeding up, and Joey started purring and growling and pushing and thrusting against Seto, driving Seto wild. Sensing that they could not last much longer, Seto grabbed Joey's member and gave a couple quick tugs, Joey emptying his seed on Seto moments before Seto spilled inside Joey. "I love you Joey. Always."

#########################

Shaking with the exertions, sweating, Seto lay down next to Joey, running a hand over Joey's forehead to get the sweaty bangs out of his way.

Seto lay his head on Joey's chest. Joey didn't know how long it had been that they laid like that; he just knew he was happy. He had been dozing, his arms around Seto. Suddenly, though, he heard... _her_. Joey sat up, Seto sitting up as well.

"Seto!" Kisara's voice called out. Seto looked torn, looking to Joey, then back at the wedding band on his hand. Pain welled up in Joey, and he transformed, running out of the gardens silently, a gentle breeze the only acknowledgement of his movements.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey's heart was breaking. His chest felt horrible. He could not say it felt empty, because if it was empty there would be no pain. However, that is all there was. Pain. Waves and waves of crashing pain. He stumbled into the prowl house, falling into a pile, weeping.

Just then, he heard the door open and close. He quickly tried to stop the tears. He didn't know who was there, so he could not break down. Turning around, he froze as he saw two..

"M..malik?" He asked. Both said, "Yes?" before the naked one with cat ears and tail glared at the clothed one, forcing the clothed one into silence.

Naked Malik walked over, eyeing Joey suggestively. "Hey there, kitty...wanna bump uglies?" He waggled his eyebrows.

Marik walked over. "Not now, Malik." he said gruffly, noticing Joey's clearly distressed state. "Joey, what is wrong? If it is about Serenity, I can show you the markers I have placed...?" Concern shone from the lilac orbs.

"Wha' dafuq is goin' on?" Joey asked, scratching his mop of hair.

"Somehow, I have been attacked by Exodia, which split me into my dark and light halves. My dark half is demanding to be called Malik, and I be called Marik. I am not entirely opposed to that, as I want _nothing..."_ he glared at his naked self "to do with this horrible, egotistical maniac." Marik turned back to Joey and put his hand comfortingly on Joey's arm.

In a split second, Marik's eyes widened. "You have fused?" Marik smiled happily. "Oh, Joey, that is wonderful! Who is she? Is she of our prowl? What is her name?" His smile started fading as he saw the extreme pain in Joey's eyes, and then started feeling the pain radiate off of Joey.

"Yes. No. It's a he. No he isn't of our prowl. His name is Seto Kaiba." A tear threatened to slip out of his eyes.

Marik let out a gasp. "A vampire?! But...well, even though that is unheard of, that is still good, isn't it?" Knowing as he said it, it wasn't.

"No, it's not." Joey stated flatly. "He is married."

A primal roar tore from behind them as Malik transformed and started running through the forest. "Oh, dear." Marik whispered, eyes shining with concern. "We have to go after him." He started tugging at Joey's arm.

"Why?" Joey asked, being tugged along.

"Because, he is going to kill Seto."

Chapter 6: Brothers

Yugi sat straight up in bed. "Yami!"

Yami turned, eyes bright with concern. "What is it aibou?"

Yugi jumped up, transforming into his leopard form. "We have to go, something bad is happening."

Yami slipped into pants and a shirt with his lightning reflexes, and caught up to Yugi going up the steps. Yami silently followed Yugi. The club was empty of patrons by this time, as it was after 3 a.m. A few employees were still there, cleaning up, puttimg up chairs, and counting the till.

Yugi slid to a stop as Malik entered, in leopard form. Yugi's head titled in confusion. It looked like Malik, but...it didn't. "Malik?" Yugi asked, Yami standing silently at his side.

Malik rushed past Yugi, not even acknowledging him. Yugi turned, following him, Yami right behind. Yami's eyebrow raised as he realized they were heading to Seto's room.

Malik let out a roar as he burst into the room, after smashing head first into Allistair, who had jumped in front of the door. Allistair crumpled, unconscious as he hit the floor hard, a sick thud resounding as his head bounced off the stone floor. Seto was standing, Kisara behind him on the bed. "Seto!" she screamed, clutching his arm.

Yami stepped into the room and to the side as he heard running behind him. In ran two other leopards...a blond one with lilac eyes, petite, but with a ferocious glint in those lilac eyes, and one with honey colored fur, which was the largest, with honey eyes. The first one to run in ran at Seto, teeth bared, foam dripping from his mouth. Seto easily dodged, pulling Kisara with him. Yugi ran to grab that one. He jumped on the blond leopard. "Malik! What has gotten into you?!"

Malik, in pure rage, flung Yugi off of him. Yugi slid on his side, slamming against the wall with a sickening thud. Yami's eyes blazed, and he took a step forward, clenching his fists, trying to contain his rage. Malik lunged again, as the other blond lunged at Malik. Yami watched the battle confused. He started towards Yugi, who was struggling to get up, whimpering in pain.

The two blond leopards rolled around, snarling, mewling, and scratching at each other. With a violent kick, Malik sliced at the other blond's face, back claw making contact with the soft lilac eye, causing extensive damage. Marik howled in pain. "Mal..Marik! Yugi, get Marik!" Joey growled, positioning himself between Seto and Malik.

Yugi ran-limped over to Marik, sniffing around him. By this time the noise was enough to being the few remaining workers in. Rafael came running in. Upon seeing Allistair, he ran to him and started tending to him. "Brother, wake up!" Upon feeling the blood at the back of the skull, he was making quick work of ripping his cotton tee shirt into strips to try to wrap around the wound and staunch the flow of blood.

Honda came in as well. Malik lunged again for Seto as Joey lunged right back, grabbing Malik by the throat. Joey forced Malik into submission, never letting go of Malik's throat. Holding Marik, Yugi looked at Malik. "We have never met," Yugi said in a commanding voice, "but you will stand down, or my enforcer will rip out your throat." A few tense seconds floated by. Joey was at attention, waiting for Yugi's command. Finally, sweating and trembling, Malik returned to his normal naked form, with tail and cat ears.

Marik, Yugi, and Joey also transformed back into human form. Bakura walked in, clapping. "Well, that was fun. Someone wanna tell me what the fuck I missed?" He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Immediately Ryou ran in the room, getting in front of Bakura. "I..I am sorry, Yami...the noise drew him and I couldn't stop him." Ryou was panting with exertion from running to catch Bakura.

Yami stood in front of Bakura as several sets of eyes glared murder at Bakura. The fear of Yami was truly the only thing that stopped another onslaught. "Wow, for fuck's sake...I seem to have made alot of enemies and I don't even know how. That is fucking awesome!" He chuckled low in his throat.

Yami stood tall. "None will harm him. He has my mark of protection.." at that he turned around and smacked Bakura's forehead...perhaps a _bit_ too hard...and the eye glowed momentarily. As voices started to grumble in protest, Yami held up a hand. "I have called for a meeting tomorrow night. All will be discussed and explained then. Bakura WILL" he glared at Bakura "stay in the dungeon until then...or I will kill him myself."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Fine." he sighed. "Sexyme, lead me there." Ryou blushed six shades of red. "We can use the chains...that way you can make sure I stay." He waggled his eyebrows as Ryou pushed Bakura out of the room.

Honda stood, looking at Yami. "Master, you know I am loyal to the end. I will beef up security; my clan will come." At that point, his skin started turning gray and hardening, and gray stone wings grew out of his back. He turned and left, heading up the stairs.

Kisara was wide eyed, standing behind Seto. "What was...who was..."

"Gargoyle." Seto said, eyes on Joey.

Yugi looked at Yami, eyes glassy. "I need a healer...I don't know if he will be able to see." Yami nodded and left the room. Yugi looked at the leopards. "What is going on?"

Joey, still pinning Malik, looked at Yugi. "Malik got hit by Exodia, which split him in two-dark an' light. Who we know as Malik is in your arms and is light. But dis dark side of Malik, who I got, is keepin the name Malik. So...you got Marik. Dis don't make a damn bit of sense. " Joey growled in fruatration.

"Why did he come after Seto?" Yami asked, bringing Rebecca in. She gasped and ran over to Marik.

"Please, Yugi...let me see him. Let me see if I can heal his eye." Yugi leaned back, but wouldn't let go. Rebecca started chanting, light green mist coming from her fingers.

"He hurt my brother." Malik choked out.

Yugi looked confused. "Y...your brother?"

Malik smiled. "All the prowl are my brothers and sisters." At that comment, Joey released him, sitting back on his butt, looking shocked.

Marik sat up. "Thank you, Rebecca. I am better." Rebecca nodded, looking concerned.

"Can you see?" She sat back, worry on her face. Marik stood and walked over to Malik, crouching down. Staring at his double, he smoothed the hair out of his eyes.

"Enough. I will heal, thanks to Yami and your quick action. For that I thank you." Rebecca nodded, and moved over to start working on healing Allistair.

"I need to take Malik and work with him. He is like a newborn after transformation. He has much to learn." Marik smiled gently, grabbing Malik's hand. "Yami, may we stay here tonight?" Marik asked quietly.

"I think that would be best. Third door on the right." Yami said quietly, arms folding across his chest. He was staring at Seto, eyes hard. Seto refused to look at Yami, and instead seemed very interested in the floor.

Blood dripped slowly from cuts on Joey's back. Seto gently put a hand on one of the cuts, which was starting to heal. "Mutt, you need to get cleaned up." Seto said quietly.

Marik stood at the door, helping Malik stand on shaky legs. "Joey, are you coming?" He asked, helping Malik to the door.

"Yea." Joey said thickly, not looking back.

Chapter 7: Rest

"What did you do?" Yami asked sternly, eyes on Seto, arms folded. Everyone had gone, leaving Seto, Kisara, Yugi, and Yami alone in Seto's room.

"I cast no spell, and performed no ritual." Seto still refused to meet Yami's eyes, just like he refused to answer Yami's question.

"Atem, it is so good to see you again." Kisara said tentatively, a shaky smile on her face, as she stepped to the side of Seto.

Yami grabbed Yugi's arm. To most, it would look like an act of love, or perhaps a need to touch. Seto knew, though, it was a vice like grip of restraint. "Kisara." Yami nodded. Seto could see the tension in Yugi's body. He didn't need to look at Yugi's face.

"It is good to see you as well, although how you are here is a mystery to me. Dartz destroyed you." Yami raised an eyebrow as Yugi turned, glaring at Yami.

"Exodia has fallen into someone else's hands. I...I don't know who or how...all I know is that Dartz finally became trapped in Exodia...I saw him...once...inside. I never got to speak to him...you can't in Exodia. All I know is I was floating in blackness, with small glimmers of light at times... and then I woke up...here, outside the door." Kisara looked down, ashamed. "I wish I could help more, but I have holes in my memory." She shrugged helplessly.

"What is Exodia?" Yugi asked, his voice like ice.

"A soul stealing dagger, it appears." Yami stated, looking at Yugi. "We thought it destroyed the souls, but...apparently not." He looked pointedly at Kisara.

Yugi took a step towards Seto, and then was stopped by Yami's grip. Yugi turned an icy glare on Yami. "Let. Me. Go."

"No." Yami said simply. "You are overly emotional right now. I do not want you to do or say something that you...or Joey...may regret." He never loosened the grip on Yugi's arm.

"Overly emotional! Overly emotional!" Yugi spat, eyes narrowing. "That...bastard cousin of yours has done something to Joey, and I have a pretty damn good guess of what..." his eyes caught Seto's, and Seto had the decency to look away, embarrassed. "it was."

At that, Yami picked Yugi up effortlessly and strode out of the room in the blink of an eye. Kisara looked around, confused. "Seto, what is going on?"

"Kisara, just sleep. We will talk more tonight." He said tiredly, but not unkindly. With that, he turned and went to a coffin in the corner of the room, stepping in and closing the lid. Kisara sat on the bed, sighing softly before lying down and resting.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"How _dare_ you?" Yugi spat, twisting out of Yami's grasp and landing on the floor, on all fours. "I am not a child!"

Yami sighed, sitting on the bed. "Then stop acting like one." He held up his hand as Yugi opened his mouth to yell. "You were throwing a tantrum in there. You were angry for your friend. However, whatever is going on between Joey and Seto is just that...between Joey and Seto. They need to work it out."

Yugi turned from Yami, hands crossed defiantly. "You don't understand." he huffed.

"Try me." Yami said tiredly.

"He just jerked my best friend's heart around, causing a fusion, and now he is going to go trapsing back to his 3,000 year old dead wife? Fusion is for an eternity. He has condemned Joey to a life of monogamous, lonely abstinence, filled with soul crushing despair. Fusion won't allow Joey to take another mate, nor fall in love with anyone else!" Yugi's eyes filled with tears of frustration.

Yami stood, coming over to stand behind Yugi, wrapping his arms around the small boy, resting his head on the top of Yugi's. "I know more than you think. I know Seto. He does not fall in love easily...I have seen it happen twice. Once to Kisara, and once with Joey. He is not playing. He is an ass, this much is true, but he is respectful of love. He is hurting, confused, and lost right now. Please, aibou, for me...give him some time. I swear to you on all I am, Seto is not playing with Joey. He is warring with himself."

Yugi slumped in his lover's embrace, eyes sliding closed. Yami continued. "I guarantee, as much as you love and care for Joey, I feel the same for Seto." Yugi sighed, nodding. He turned around, staring up into crimson. "Let's sleep, Little One...we are going to need it.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"No, Bakura, I will _not_ use the leather belt. Please, just rest." Ryo had bags under his eyes, exhaustion rising up in him.

Bakura was sitting, chuckling at how cute Ryou was when flustered. He had been egging the cute white haired boy on dor some time. "Alright, Lil Sexy, I promise I will sleep..." Ryou smiled "IF you lay with me. You can use my bloody lap as a pillow." Bakura smirked as Ryou frowned, sighing.

"Fine." Ryou knew when he was defeated. He lay down on the floor, his head in Bakura's lap. Quickly, he fell into a deep sleep as exhaustion overtook him.

Bakura looked down at his hikari. "I do not know what you did to me, you little fucker," he whispered affectionately, "but I promise this...NO ONE will hurt you." He leaned down, gently kissing his sleeping angel's forehead before covering him in a blanket.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey sighed, sitting in his bed. He looked over at the bronze twins laying in bed, cuddled. Malik's tail wrapped protectively around Marik. They held each other. They didn't really say much, they did more touching. That made sense to Joey. Leopards are very tactile, and have the mental connection. Joey refused to listen in, that was rude.

Joey ached to have Seto with him. But that wasn't to be. Seto was in his room, making love to his wife, completely forgetting about Joey. Joey turned on his side, curled up in the fetal position, tears flowing. He never felt as alone as he had right then.

Chapter 8: New Allies

Yami stood, looking around the room. There were old faces, and new ones. He sighed. Even though it was to be expected, he wished the tension was a little less palpable. He cleared his throat, and the chatter in the room started subsiding.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice."

"Ya know, hon, if I have to keep coming here, I'm going to get different wallpaper for this room." Mai smirked, laying a hand on a short, muscular man's arm. His piercing blue eyes lit up as he smiled at Mai under shaggy brown hair. "What do you think, Valon?"

"Definitely, Mai. Bright orange, don'tcha think?"

There was a smattering of chuckles, then silence as Yami cleared his throat. Yugi was sitting immediately to Yami's right. Seto was sitting to his left, Kisara sitting next to him. The prowl was piled up near Yugi on the floor, Joey farthest away, in a corner, eyes on the ground. Malik and Marik sat, arm in arm, Malik still refusing to wear clothes, tail protectively around Marik.

Suddenly, two women walked in. One, the taller, had long auburn hair, pale skin, and piercing green eyes. She was thin, but very muscular. Smiling at Yami, she waved. "Sorry we were late, we got...distracted with something." Eyes lovingly on the other woman who came in. This woman was shorter, petite, with royal blue eyes, dark brown hair to her waist pulled back in a braid, and pale skin. Running from right below her le eye, over the bridge of her nose, was a well healed scar.

Yami smiled warmly at them. "Aeon, Kurasha, it is so good to see you both again. Are you the only two from Wyrm?"

Aeon smiled brightly. "Yep, we are all that could make it." She sat down on an empry seat on the couch. Kurasha shifted, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Yes, Kurasha?" Yami smiled, noticing Kurasha's discomfort. "You aren't going to offend me."

Kurasha sighed, sitting down on Aeon's lap. "Wyrm are forbidden from helping you. The High One believes that you bring your own trouble. Aeon and I...we don't agree with The High One. And since he cannot control us, nor oust us, we can do as we please. But I do not think we will be able to get others to help." She looked down regretfully.

"Well, I thank you for your support." Yami smiled kindly. "Now..." he looked around, voice becoming stern, "those that are here tonight will be treated in peace and respect. If anyone chooses to disrespect that...you will deal with me." Silence followed this statement.

"Sorry! Sorry we're late!" A young man in his twenties ran in with a shock of yellow hair and bright blue eyes that shone with excitement. He was followed by a young man with dark black hair and brooding dark eyes. A pink haired girl came in, as well as a short dark haired girl with pale lavender eyes and black hair. All wore form fitting black pants, boots, and long sleeved black shirts.

Yami smiled broadly, embracing the blonde in a hug. "Naruto, it is wonderful to see you." Turning to the other male, he bowed. "Sasuke." A small head bow was all he got in return. "Sakura" he bowed to the pink haired girl, "and Hinata. Welcome." The girls both bowed, then the four went to another part of the room and sat on the floor, as chair space was at a premium.

"Now, as I was saying...I am bringing in a guest. No harm will come to him." Ryou walked in then, with Bakura. Bakura was gagged and bound, and looked pissed.

Voices started raising in anger all around the room. "Silence!" Yami ordered, and the room went silent, most angry eyes not leaving Bakura.

" This is Bakura. However, this is NOT the Bakura who was causing all of the havoc of the past. I do not even think this was Rakuba."

"Wokuba? Woo dufuq is Wokuba? An why dufuq do oo tink I m Wokuba?" was all that could be heard from the gag.

"If he isn't Bakura, who is he?" Rebecca asked. "He sure looks like the one that had us prisoner, and that Joey killed." She scooted a bit behind another girl, trembling slightly.

Yami sighed. "There is a dagger...Exodia. For millenia, we thought it was a soul destroying dagger. However, after a soul escaped the dagger..." Kisara wrapped her arm around Seto's, leaning her head on his shoulder, "we realized it was a soul stealer, not a soul destroyer."

Seto stood. "After doing some research, we have come to a couple of conclusions." At the sound of his voice, Joey's heart sped up, while it felt like ice was spreading through his veins. "In pouring through all of history, mythology, and legends, we believe that Exodia can only be wielded by one of three types of people...a master spellcaster, an angel, or a demon." Seto chanced a look at Joey, his heart breaking at what he saw. He quickly turned back to the crowd. "Unfortunately, we do not know which of the three holds Exodia."

Skylar stood. "Exodia is not in the hands of an angel. It is forbidden. We do not use such dark and evil ways."

Yami nodded. "We did not think so, but it is good to know. So, Exodia is in the hands of a demon or a master spellcaster. In either event, we are all in danger." Murmurs went through the room.

"Well then, we need to find Exodia. The Leaf Village will help in any way we can. Believe it!" Naruto stated from the back, putting a fist in the air.

"Thank you, Naruto. We will need all the help we can get." At that point, a chorus of voices started talking, and everyone started trying to figure out how to find Exodia and stop it's wielder.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The meeting went on into the wee hours of the morning. Finally, with everyone exhausted, the meeting was called. As beings made their way home, or to guest rooms or guest coffins, Yugi looked at Yami. "You are pale. You haven't eaten. You need to feed."

"Yea...speaking of food...ya got any Ramen?" Naruto asked, smiling into a big yawn. Yami smiled. "Of course. Rebecca, could you show them the kitchen?" Smiling, Rebecca grabbed her things and led the ninjas to the kitchen.

"You're right, my love. I do need to feed." Almost immediately, Honda appeared. "Yes, Master?"

"I need to feed." Yami stated. Honda willing obliged. Yugi frowned, crossing his arms. As Yami finished drinking, he looked to Yugi, face flushed. "Ready, Aibou?" Honda smiled and left.

"We really need to talk about your feeding habits." Yugi growled, turning on his heel and stalking out. Yami followed confused.

"What are you talking about? You suggested I feed...and I did?" Confusion was etched on his face.

"I didn't mean you needed to feed on _him_!" Yugi growled, spinning around once they made their way to the bedroom.

"Who would you have me feed on then?" Yami asked, aggravated.

"Me, damnit! How come you can feed on your boytoy Honda, but you won't touch me? Am I that distasteful?" Yugi asked, tears brimming.

Yami shook his head, totally bewildered. "No, aibou, of course you aren't disgusting or distasteful. _You_ were the one who stated I could not feed of you! I have wanted to feed off only you."

Yugi sniffed, not looking at Yami as he undressed. "You sure don't act like it." He crawled in bed, still not looking at Yami. Yami crawled in behind him, wrapping his arms around Yugi.

"I...if S..Seto can j..j..just forget J.. ... ou might forget you l..l..love mee." These words pierced Yami's heart. He turned Yugi over on his back and leaned over him.

"My aibou, my hikari...I can never forget about you. You are my reason for being. Without you, I would be lost. My life was so dark before you came, lighting it with your smile. I am not worthy of you, but I am selfish, and cannot let you go." He leaned down, kissing Yugi's forehead, nose, and finally lips. Licking Yugi's lips as he kissed, sucked, and teased them, he finally released his captives. "I love you Yugi Motou. Always. Forever. For infinity." Yugi smiled softly, hugging Yami tight as he lay back down in bed with his mate.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Seto wandered back to the garden. He couldn't sleep. Sitting down by the fountain, he recalled the last time he had been there. Surreptitiously he looked around. Seeing no one, he closed his eyes, reliving memories of Joey. Soon, memories gave way to fantasies, and he felt himself harden in his pants. He started fantasizing about Joey, rubbing himself.

Just then, he felt someone crawling on his lap. Excitedly, he opened his eyes, looking for honey to be staring back at him. Instead, he saw pale blue. Instantly she leaned down kissing him. "Oh, my husband, I missed you so." She started undoing his pants.

"Kisara..." Seto started.

Kisara looked at him and leaned down, kissing him again. "I love you."

Seto remembered how Joey wouldn't even look or talk to him. He closed his eyes, resigned. Why should Joey? Seto was an ass, and he lost the best thing to ever happen to him. Kisara finished undoing his pants, and lowered herself on him, riding him. Seto closed his eyes. He couldn't help it, he started thinking of Joey until he felt himself release.

Unbeknownst to Seto or Kisara, Joey had wandered into the garden. Upon hearing something, and catching Seto's scent, Joey could not help himself, and eagerly rushed toward the noise. However, coming upon Seto and Kisara having sex, he felt a piece of himself die inside. He quietly walked out, his heart breaking more with each groan he heard from Seto.

Chapter 9: Royalty

LEMON WARNING BETWEEN ### MARKS. DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ.

Aeon shut the door, and flopped down on the bed, pulling at her boots. Kurasha sat on the bed, fiddling with a stray string on the comforter. After getting her boots o and carelessly throwing them on the floor, she sat back on the bed, eyeing Kurasha.

"What's wrong, Tatsu?" Aeon turned, fully facing Kurasha.

Kurasha smiled at the pet name. Eyes full of worry, she looked up at Aeon. "You know who I fear it is, don't you?"

Aeon frowned. "No. It can't be. He was cast off, his wings clipped for daring to disrespect you."

Kurasha shifted on the bed, grabbing Aeon's hands. "But don't you see? It makes perfect sense. No longer a dragon, what are his choices? You know Damien would create that for him."

Aeon scoffed. "Damien Dahrk is a mediocre spellcaster at best, a sideshow fraudster at worst. He doesn't have the power to help Ciacto. What you are speaking of is madness! Ciacto has been silent for at least a hundred years now. He is no threat to you anymore."

Kurasha frowned, looking in those green seas. "He was never a threat to me. It was you he tried to kill."

"Yea, and you saw how well he did _that_." Aeon smiled brightly, flexing a muscle.

Kurasha sighed in frustration. "If not for Yami and Seto, he _would_ have succeeded. Then my land would have been ruled over by Ciacto."

Aeon frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about? He didn't kill you...he couldn't ascend to the throne. Even if he married you, you are still the heir and the bloodline of the dragon kings."

Kurasha lifted her eyes to Aeon, running a hand down the side of Aeon's face. "No. If he would have taken you from me, I would have died of a broken heart."

Aeon'seyes grew huge. "K...Kurasha...you can't do that...only mated pairs can be affected that way."

Kurasha smiled and giggled. "Silly wyrmling, do you think we are not mated, just because the ceremony hasn't been performed?"

Aeon gulped, not able to respond. "For once, I have left you speechless." Kurasha chuckled and leaned over, kissing the corner of Aeon's lips. "You are my mate, ceremony or not."

Aeon's eyes became glassy, but then she smiled, then pounced, throwing Kurasha back on the bed. "I am still dominant, Tatsu." Smirking she leaned down and started kissing down Kurasha's neck, nipping at the skin. Leaning up, she drank in the sight of Kurasha lying there. "I love you, Kurasha, my Queen, my mate. My heart would break if I lost you, too." she whispered.

#########################

Aeon kissed down, over Kurasha's clothing, making Kurasha whimper. With one hand, she held both of Kurasha's hands over Kurasha's head, pinned to the bed. "What my love?" Aeon whispered, running a hand up under Kurasha's dres, lightly running her fingers over the inner thighs of Kurasha.

Kurasha whimpered more, arching her back upward. Aeon let her fingers dance across Kurasha's underwear, but not venturing underneath. "Please..." Kurasha whimpered.

"Not so fast love. I love watching your body." One of Aeon's fingernails grew to an exceptionally sharp point, and she sliced the dress off, leaving Kurasha lying in bed, in only a bra and underwear. Kurasha whimpered again.

Slowly, crawling up, Aeon took one of the cloth covered nipples in her mouth, suckling on it. Kurasha's breath caught in her throat. Her back arched higher, pushing her breasts at Aeon. Aeon leaned back, chuckling. "Ah ah ah! Not so fast, my queen. Let me serve you." Aeon then turned her attention to the other breast, licking and sucking at it through the fabric.

Kurasha's breath was becoming ragged. Aeon smiled and sliced the bra off, exposing perfect orbs with bright pink peaks just waiting to be sucked. Aeon couldn't help herself, and leaned down, sucking and licking on each one as her claw retracted.

Kurasha was moaning and writhing underneath the stimulation. Suddenly, her hands were let go, and Aeon's mouth was no longer at her breasts. As Kurasha sat up to see where Aeon had gone, she felt her legs being pulled apart, and a tongue sliding in, licking at her sweet center. Aeon took the bud in her mouth, sucking and licking, making Kurasha arch her back painfully.

Aeon kept teasing, pulling her tongue away so that Kurasha was shoving her pelvis at Aeon's face. Kurasha kept whimpering and bucking. Aeon knew she was close, as Kurasha's nipples were painfully standing at attention. Taking two fingers, she positioned them at the entrance, and, leaning down, she started licking Kurasha's clitorus forcefully, shoving her two fingers inside Kurasha at the same time. Pounding and licking, it did not take long before Kurasha let out a scream and her body began convulsing as wave upon wave of pleasure rolled over her. Aeon kept it up for a bit longer, until Kurasha was sweating, shaking and spent. Sliding up next to Kurasha, Aeon kissed her gently as Kurasha drifted into sleep. "You are mine, my Queen, and I am yours...forever."

###########################

Damien Dahrk stood looking at the figure in front of him. "You have got to be kidding me. Why would I help you? What would I get from it, besides having to constantly look over my back?"

The figure pulled a crimson bladed, obsidian hilted dagger from its hidden sheath. Damien's eyes grew huge. "E...Exodia?" he croaked.

"Bring me the wereleopard, and Exodia is yours."

"But..how? He and Yami are stuck at the hip...and Yami is more powerful than me..."

"Yes, but chaos is reigning right now...so my power increases...and I will give you a taste." The magic flowed from the outstretched hand to Damien, and his eyes glowed green, before settling back to their blue hue.

Turning, he smiled at the cloaked figure, feeling the power rush through his veins. "It would be my pleasure to bring Yugi Moto to you, Maelstrom."

Chapter 10: The Hook

"Damien, how ya been?" Joey asked, forcing a grin on his face. He pulled out a chair, flipping it backwards and sitting down in it.

Damien smiled, grabbing Joey's hand and shaking it. "Joey...it's been awhile." Damien's short curly white blond hair was perfectly in place, his pale blue eyes a perfect match for his pearly white teeth. The Armani suit he wore just screamed "I am rich." Joey felt like a street urchin in comparison in his blue jeans and white tee.

The waitress came over, smiling at the two. "What would you like?"

Damien smiled charmingly. "I'll have a coffee and a slice of that wonderful carrot cake."

The waitress smiled, noting it on a pad. "What about you, cutie?" she asked, turning to Joey.

"An iced tea."

"Okay!" She smiled and walked off.

Damien looked at Joey, eyebrow raised. "Joey, you sick? I have never seen you not eat."

Joey shook his head. "Nah. I...I don't wanna talk about it. What did ya want?"

Damien frownwd. "Well, I heard that some stuff is going down. To be honest, I am worried about Ryou. I haven't seen him in a few days, and I heard some creepy twin was hanging around him. Have you seen him?"

Joey looked up. "Y..yea. He's at The Pyramid. He's fine."

Damien frowned again. "Joey, please tell me what's wrong. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were suffering from a broken heart."

Joey shook his head. "Nah...I ain't sufferin from dat...ya gotta have a heart to break. I ain't got dat, not after I saw him fuckin' her." A tear threatened to slip out, and Joey angrily turned away.

Damien sighed. "I am sorry, Joey. You didn't fuse, did you?" The broken look on his face told Damien all he needed to know.

"Damn." He shook his head, as the waitress brought their orders. He smiled at her and she blushed. He looked back at Joey.

Picking up his coffee cup, he took a sip. "Well, what are you going to do about it?"

Joey looked up, the pain fresh. "I can't do nothin' about it. They are married, even if she died three thousand years ago."

"Whoa...hold on..." Damien grinned, chuckling. "You telling me you're playing hide the sausage with another sausage?"

Joey glared. "Not funny, dickhead."

Damien held up a hand. "Sorry, trying to be funny...it failed. My bad." Taking a bite of his carrot cake, he looked at Joey. "How is she here if she died 3,000 years ago?"

"I dunno, sumptin about dis dagger called Exodia."

Damien stopped chewing, watching Joey. "Exodia, you say?"

Joey nodded, playing with his glass. "Yea."

"Well..." Damien weighed his next words carefully. "You know that Maelstrom was the last to have that."

Joey's eyes jumped up, locking on Damien's face. "Who is Maelstrom?"

Damien decided to play the odds. "A chaos demon. Last I heard, Maelsteom was trying to find and kill a vampire...that cousin of Yami's...Seto, is it?"

Joey's face went white. "I gotta go." He started fumbling for his wallet. Damien waved a hand dismissively.

"I've got this. Are you sure you are okay?"

"Yea, tanks." Joey sped from the diner.

Damien smirked, taking another bite of his carrot cake and finishing his coffee. He had always been a gambler, and it seemed that he hadn't lost his touch. This was going to be easier than he expected. He dropped a hundred on the table and walked out, whistling.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Bakura, just _stop_!" Ryou said for the hundreth time.

"Why the fuck cant I have a normal bedroom?" Growling, he stalked around the cell.

"Because, Yami wants to give it a couple more days for everyone to calm down before you just prance about the halls like you own the place. Really Baky, it is for the best." Large chocolate eyes pleaded with Bakura. Grumbling, he sat down.

"I don't see how it's for the best." He flopped down on his back. Ryou came over, sitting down next to him.

Grabbing Bakura's hand, Ryou looked him in the eye. "I know you were not the one trying to kill everyone and bring back Shezmu, but not everyone else does. You have to give them time."

Bakura grumbled, but stayed mostly silent. Looking out the side of his eye, he smirked. "Ya know, if it wasn't for you, I would just leave."

Ryou looked shocked. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Well..." he smirked, leaning nose to nose with Ryou..."I know how good I fuck, so I figured you have to be as good as me...so I wanna find out."

Ryou turned a dark shade of purple and stood, going over to the window. Bakura smirked. Yep, this was going to be fun.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey ran in to the club, narrowly missing a waitress. "Damn, Joey...watch where you are going."

Joey ran past her, paying no heed. He ran down the stairs, almost falling. He slammed into Seto's room, breathing heavy. The bed was empty.

"Seto!" He turned, running over to a coffin in the corner. He flipped open the lid. Cobalt eyes flew open.

"Joey?" Seto asked, confusion on his face.

A crash sounded in the club...most likely someone dropping some glasses. However, Joey immediately transformed, standing in front of Seto protectively.

"Joey, what the hell?" Seto asked. Joey slowly turned around, transforming back a er verifying that there was no danger.

"Seto...ya...ya ha a be...careful. Maelstrom has Exodia..and..is...comin a er ya." Breathing heavy, he looked up at Seto.

"Maelstrom? Who is Maelstrom?" Seto looked confused.

"A chaos demon."

Seto scoffed. "There are no more chaos demons. The last one died out long ago. Mutt, get your facts straight."

Joey growled, grabbing Seto by the arms and jerking him nose to nose. "Look, you self righteous jackass. I wouldn't a come if my source wasn't good. You're in danger, so stop actin' like your invincible!"

Seto raised an eyebrow, looking down his nose at Joey. "Exodia steals souls, right?"

"Yea, so?" Joey asked, confused.

"Well then, I am in no danger. I'm a vampire. Vampires have no souls." Seto stated matter of factly.

Joey dropped Seto's arms, shaking his head. "You call me dense, but you are clueless."

"How so, Mutt?" Seto sneered.

"We fused." Joey now stated matter of factly.

Seto swallowed a hard lump in his throat. Unable to speak, he nodded, looking at Joey.

"Fusion is the fusing of two souls. Thats the only way it works." Joey said; he then turned to leave.

"She's gone." Seto said quietly.

Joey stopped. "Who?" he asked, not turning around.

"Kisara."

"Why?" Still not turning around, he stood there.

"Because...you are the only person I can think about. When she was making love to me, I could only think about you. I undestand that you don't want me. I don't deserve you. But don't think for one moment that I don't love you."

Joey turned slowly. "Don't. Don't say this if you aren't serious. I can't go through dis again. If you want me back, you got me...but you can't let me go again."

Seto put a hand up, smoothing Joey's bangs. "Mutt, I searched 3,000 years for Kisara. I would search an eternity for you." Leaning down, Seto gently kissed Joey, pulling him tightly into an embrace.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"You did WHAT?" Maelstrom asked, enraged.

"Trust me, I have Joey right where I want him. I know about Exodia, so Joey will come running back to me like I am his own personal encyclopedia. Access will be granted." Damien smiled, a self satisfied look on his face.

"For your sake, I hope so." was the only reply.

Chapter 11: Set In Motion

"My child...why are you crying?" the silken voice rolled down the petite girl's spine. Pale hair hung over the girl's broken figure and face, tears falling freely.

Kisara jerked up, looking around. Upon seeing the woman, she sniffed. "I..I'm sorry. Was I disturbing you?" She tried to see the woman's face, but it was shrouded in a dark cloak.

"No, my child...you were not disturbing me. I was just enjoying Yami's wonderful garden, when I heard you weeping. It is magnificent, isn't it?" She picked a cobalt blue flower, holding it out to Kisara

Kisara gripped the flower, fresh tears spilling over her pale cheeks. "Y..y..yes, it is."

"Please, my child, please tell me why you weep so?"

"M..my h...hus...husband left me for a..ano..another man!" The tears burst forth, fresh.

Comforting arms surrounded Kisara. "Shhh, don't cry. He was a fool to leave you." Kisara sobbed more, leaning into the comforting warmth of the embrace.

"I..I didn't mean t..to leave him...but..he...he came along r..right before I could get back." Kisara sobbed, not making much sense.

"Tell me, dear one, who are these disgusting people?" A pale hand smoothed Kisara's hair.

"M..my husband's name is..S..Seto. H...his bastard lover's name is Joey." Kisara spat the last part.

"This Seto, he told you that his lover was this Joey?" she purred.

"N..no, not in s..so many wor...words." Still sobbing, she started hiccuping. "B..but he couldn't take his eyes off of Joey a..anytime he was in the room!" Fresh tears flowed; tears of anger, sadness, and betrayal.

"This Joey...is he, by chance, a werewolf?" The silken voice smoothly replied.

"No. He is a wereLEOPARD." she stated in diagust.

"Oh, that explains it then."

"Explains what?" Kisara asked, pulling back and looking at the figure.

"Wereleopards are highly adept at charming people into falling in love with them. So, you see, Seto isn't really in love with Joey...he is under a spell."

Kisara looked skeptical, dried tear tracks down her face. "Seto's a vampire. He can't be charmed."

The woman slid her hood back, revealing jet black hair, almond shaped eyes, and perfect cheek bones. The pale blue of her eyes shone with compassion. "Yes, vampires can be charmed, if they drink a were's blood. It is...like a drug.. making them susceptible."

Kisara's mouth fell open. "My Seto is being drugged?" She stood, angrily. "He will not be used like that!" She started to storm off. The woman put her hand on Kisara's arm, stopping her.

"Dear, it is not that easy. I know the were of this area. If Joey is from the prowl of this area; Joey is NOT the Alpha; you have to destroy the Alpha to destroy the bloodline charm. You have to destroy Yugi."

Kisara looked back, her mouth in a grim line. "I am sorry, Yami...but if I have to sacrifice Yugi to get Seto back, so be it. Yugi is probably charming Yami too."

The woman nodded solemnly. "Yes...unfortunately Yugi is not as innocent as he seems. Bring me Yugi and I will help you, child.. there is a specific ritual that must be done to break the charm."

Kisara suddenly looked back, suspicious. "Why do you want to help me?"

The woman smiled a gentle, sad smile. "I was betrayed too, by Joey's father. Same thing, a charm. I know the feeling of hurt there is."

Kisara nodded, turning, determination in her face. "I will meet you in the park across the street tonight at 10pm. I will have Yugi." Kisara left, not looking back.

CapricornKitty1975Thewoman smiled, her gentle features dissipating into short, white blond curly hair and an Armani suit. "Heh, I still got it." he whispered to himself, whistling as he walked off to find Ryou.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Hold still!" Yugi grunted.

"This is stupid." Yami grumbled.

"No, it is cute. See?" Yugi turned Yami around, allowing him to look in the mirror and see that with two gallons of gel, and an army of Bobby pins, Yami could actually keep his hair down flat. Yugi slipped a baseball cap on Yami's head.

"There! Now you can go out incognito!" Yugi said proudly. Yami raised an eyebrow, staring at the smaller male.

"Yami...I need to speak to Yugi." Yami looked up at the door to see Kisara standing in it.

"Please, come in." He motioned to a seat.

"Uh, alone?" She said tentatively.

"Of course." Yami kissed Yugi, then walked out. "I will give you all some privacy."

After the door shut, Yugi looked questioningly at Kisara.

"Yugi, well...I am leaving soon, since ... Seto doesn't want me. But, I wanted to plan a surprise for Yami. He was always so sweet to me. Would you help me?"

Yugi was definitely smelling maliciousness, but not at Yami. Yugi assumed it was at Seto and Joey. Joey relayed everything that had happened...not shutting up for over an hour.

"Yea, sure. What do you have in mind?" Yugi smiled up at the girl.

"Meet me in the park at 10pm, okay? I will show it to you then...then if you think its ok, we can get Yami."

Yugi smiled. "Sure."

Kisara smiled, then turned and left.

Chapter 12: The Taking

"Hey, Yami...I'll be right back in about 15, okay?" Yugi leaned over kissing Yami lightly.

Yami smiled at his lover as Aeon came into the office. "Okay, Love." Smiling at Yugi's retreating back, he turned his attention to Aeon. "Aeon, what can I help you with?"

Yugi shut the door, humming as he walked down the stairs. He passed Kurasha and smiled. "Aeon's upstairs, if you're looking for her."

Kurasha smiled at Yugi. "Thank you, Yugi. But, actually, I was looking for you."

"Me?" Yugi squeaked.

"Yes, you." Kurasha stated kindly. "I wanted to give you this." She held out her hand, and in it was a royal blue dragon scale.

Yugi took it from her. "Wow..it's really beautiful. Thank you."

She smiled. "It is one of mine. I wanted you to have it. Yami has one of the only two other scales I have ever given up. They can find each other...so if you two are ever separated, you can find your way back to each other."

Yugi smiled, hugging Kurasha. "Thanks! Waaaait...y...you're a..." Recognition dawned on Yugi's face. "You're a dragon?"

Kurasha smiled and curtseyed. "At your service."

Yugi smiled, shaking his head. "Wow...a dragon." He grinned, "Can I have a ride sometime?"

Kurasha laughed. "Of course, little one. But now, onto your mission...you looked pretty determined."

Yugi smiled. "Yea, gotta help Kisara." He waved, walking out.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Hey, Kisara." Yugi smiled at Kisara, who was sitting on a bench, a pool of light shining on her head from the lamppost.

She turned, smiling. "Oh, Yugi! I am so glad you are here. I know we haven't gotten time to speak much, but if Yami trusts you, I know I can. And..." she smiles sadly, "I am sorry we won't get to know each other better. But, I want Seto happy."

Yugi shifted uncomfortably. "Yea...well, uh, where is the surprise?" He rubbed his neck, looking around.

"Oh, over here...I couldn't move it...sorry."

"That's okay." He walked over, looking in the bushes. Suddenly, a net sprung up, around Yugi's body, pulling him up in the air. Yugi screamed in pain, as the netting was intertwined with silver, burning his flesh. Hot pain flared. "Kisara! Get out of here...something's wrong!"

Kisara stood, staring hatefully at Yugi. "I have to save Seto. Please, come out." She twisted her head back and forth, eyes lighting on someone.

In between the hot flares of pain, Yugi saw a woman with jet black hair step out, looking at her prize. "You have done well, Kisara. This will help you to save Seto."

 _Joey, please help, I am in the park...Kisara is here and I'm hurt._ "Save, Seto...what are you all..." at that moment,ice blue smoke came from the woman's fingers, and Yugi slumped, unconscious. Smiling, the woman moved her fingers and the net containing Yugi flew to her. She pulled a small black cloth from her pocket, threw it on the ground and a hole appeared. She stepped through, with Yugi. Then the hole disappeared.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Yug!" Joey's eyes got huge and he transformed as he started running out of the club. He ran as fast as he could across the street, through the park, following Yugi's scent. Skidding to a stop, he saw a woman step into a hole in the ground. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him and leapt for the hole, only to have his snout slammed into the earth as the hole disappeared.

Turning, he saw Kisara and snarled, then sprinted at top speed to the club, slowing only to transform so the brute squad wasn't called in about a rabid leopard on the loose. He burst into Seto's office. Seto immediately stood, instantly aware of his lover's state.

"Seto, Yug's in danger! He was just kidnapped!" Panting, Joey turned back to the hallway.

Seto's cobalt eyes went wide and he was at the door in an instant, heading for Yami's office. "Come. I will get Yami."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Aeon smiled. "Thank you, Yami! I know she will love it." Aeon got up, hugged Yami, and then headed out. As she was walking down the steps she was met with a gust of air, and a few steps later by...Joey...was that his name? Well, he looked to be in a hurry, whoever he was. Humming, she searched for Kurasha.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

No sooner had the door shut than it banged open again. Yami chuckled, "Forget something, Aeon?" The chuckle died in his throat at the sight before him. Seto stood, face actually showing...concern. Just then, Joey ran up, panting.

"Yam...it's Yug..he..he was kidnapped!"

Immediately, everything went into sharp focus. Yami noticed the speck of dust on Kaiba's coat collar...the bead of sweat that slid down Joey's jaw. "Where was he last?" Yami asked, voice ice cold.

"Da park with..." Joey's eyes darted to Seto before back to Yami "Kisara."

"Kisara! Why didn't you say two were kidnapped?" Seto snapped.

Joey growled, hackles raising. "She wasn't. She was standing by, watching as the person took him!"

Yami glared. "Enough! This petty squabbling is wasting enough time." Yami looked at Seto. "Go, get the ninjas."

Seto nodded. Joey and Yami sat in tense silence for what seemed an eternity, but, according to the clock was only 4 minutes and 32 seconds. If one hair was hurt on Yugi's head, they would all burn in the most horrific way possible by the most tortuous means available. And, living through the Spanish Inquisition, all the wars, the Bubonic Plague, and the Kardashians...he knew torture.

Suddenly the door opened, Seto standing there. In rushed Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata. "Seto said you needed our help. What's going on?" Naruto exclaimed, worry in his bright blue eyes.

"Yugi has been kidnapped. Please help me get him back." Yami stated.

"You know we will, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura stepped up. "Yami, is there anyone who saw this happen...or can you take us to where it happened?"

Yami looked to Joey. Joey nodded. "Come on, we can do both!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi opened his eyes slowly, his head throbbing. He was in a dark room. Luckily, due to his leopard heritage, he could still see that he was in a dungeon. Silver chains burned his flesh. How the hell did he get naked?

A scuffling noise brought him back to his senses. He saw someone walking slowly towards him. Staring at them, he saw the hand reach out, towards him. He moved to stay away from that touch. The hand went by him, flipping a switch that was just out of reach. Light flooded the room. He saw the woman, and also another figure walked in.

The woman's form melted away to..."Damien! What are you doing?" Yugi exclaimed.

Damien paid no heed. Looking at the cloaked figure, his next words jumbled around in Yugi's head. "Maelstrom, I have brought you the boy. My payment." He extended a hand.

"Yes...You delivered in excellent time...I promised that Exodia would be yours." She pulled out the crimson bladed dagger. "And so it shall be." With lightning quick reflexes, she pierced Damien's heart. His body didn't even have time to register an emotion, as his body slumped to the floor, the silver trail of his soul being sucked into the blade. Turning back to Yugi, a long, thin tongue snaked out, licking the blood from the blade.

"Oh, yes...I am going to have fun with you before I destroy you." Yugi's eyes grew wide. _Joey, please..._

"Your mind link doesn't work here boy. No one will save you, especially not your lover. But first...I think I may have to see what he was so up in arms about..." she laughed, as a bead of sweat ran down Yugi's jaw, dropping onto the floor.

Chapter 13: The Ninjas

Joey turned and led the group back to the park. As they rushed out of the door of the club, Kisara was reaching to open the door.

"Kisara!" Seto exclaimed. Kisara took a step towards Seto.

Joey stood in front of Seto protectively. "She was da one dere when Yug' was taken."

Naruto looked at the pale woman. "Hey...Kisara, is it?" She looked to him, nodding slowly. "Hey...do you know where our friend Yugi is?"

At the mention of Yugi's name, she straightened up, stiffening. She looked to Seto who put his hand on Joey's shoulder, restraining him. Her face turned impassive. "No."

Sasuke stared at the woman, noting the change in posture. Taking a step toward, Sasuke asked, quietly, "Do you want to reconsider your answer?"

Kisara remained silent, staring at Sasuke. "Guys, she knows more than she's saying." Sakura noted. "Look, whatever you were promised, it's a lie. Please, tell us where our friend is." Sakura pleaded.

Kisara stared at her, silent.

"Kisara, if you do not tell us where Yugi is, you are dead to me. The Kisara I knew would never risk an innocent...for any reason." Seto stated, coldly.

Kisara's lip trembled, a tear staining her cheek. Still, she said nothing.

Yami took a step forward, before being stopped by Seto. "Listen, bitch. Tell me where Yugi is or you will wish you were dead."

After even more silence, Sasuke looked to Naruto. Naruto gave a slight nod. Sasuke reached out, clamping Kisara's wrist. Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke and Sasuke and Kisara were gone.

"NYEH!" Joey jumped, possessively wrapping Seto in his arms. "Where'd dey go?"

"To get answers." Sakura said, her mouth set in a grim line. Hinata moved over to Naruto, looking at him, placing a hand on his arm. Naruto looked down at her, his face a mask of grim determination, and nodded, once.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

On the rooftop of Hawkins Tower, Sasuke and Kisara appeared. Letting go of her wrist, Sasuke faced Kisara. Kisara looked around, frightened. As Kisara watched, Sasuke's face turned demonesque, irises turning the color of blood.

"Where is Yugi?" Sasuke asked quietly.

Trembling was the only answer he received.

"Don't make me ask twice. Where did they take Yugi?" Venom dripped from his voice.

Still no response.

In a flash, Sasuke went from standing in front of her to standing behind her, his blade drawn and at her throat. "I am not as nice as those vampires you know. Now, tell me, before I do things to you that your nightmares would have nightmares of." he whispered dangerously calm in her ear.

Kisara's body started shaking with fear. "I...I don't know! It was a woman...she said my Seto was under a spell because of Joey... and Yugi had to be sacrificed..I was just trying to save Seto!" Tears tracked down her face.

The blade still to her throat, "Which way did they go?"

"I...I don't know. The woman laid a black cloth on the ground, grabbed Yugi, and stepped in it...like a hole or something. Then it disappeared."

Sasuke grabbed her wrist, and they were gone from the roof, as if they were never there.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The group waited tensely for Sasuke's return. When the duo popped back into view, Yami took a step to them. "Anything?" Eyes on Sasuke.

"She doesn't know where they are. But, some kind of cloth was laid on the ground and the woman stepped through it with Yugi, it closing up afterwards. She," he nodded at Kisara, "was trying to save Seto from some spell that Joey had put on him. She was told the way to do that was to sacrifice Yugi." Sasuke's eyes looked to Naruto. Naruto looked at Hinata.

Hinata turned, looking at Joey and Seto. Raising her fingers in a cross formation, her eyes got larger, her veins protruding in her forehead. Suddenly she stopped, looking back at Naruto, her eyes becoming smaller and the veins disappearing. "No spell."

Yami paled, fangs baring, a primal growl uttering from his throat as he faced Kisara. Seto stepped in front of Yami. "No. We will deal with her later. Now, we need to find Yugi."

Sasuke looked at Sakura. Sakura chewed on her lip a bit. "It sounds like a portable hole. Basically, a portable hole will allow the user to create a hole to step in. However, it is just a hole. There had to be a tunnel for them to go through to disappear, or the person has to close the hole and create a new one in front of them, step through that, and keep doing that to the destination."

Naruto looked at Sakura. "How far could they have gotten?"

Sakura thought a moment. "Well, assuming the person needed air...they couldn't have went far under ground. Maybe within a mile?"

Naruto looked at Hinata again. She nodded once more. Making the same formation with her fingers, her eyes grew bigger, her veins appearing again. She slowly started turning in a circle. She stopped, directly north of where they were, then kept turning again. Finally, after doing a 360 degree turn, she stopped, hands going down, face returning to normal. "I can't see over in the bottom of that building over there. It's really distorted."

Looking at the building, knowledge hit them all. They all took off at a break neck pace to Hawkins Tower.

Chapter 14: Payback

()()()()Warning, rape/ noncons/torture triggers here. Don't like or are sensitive, don't read.()()()()

Yugi stared at the blackness of the face in the cloak. He couldn't help but shiver at the maliciousness in the tone.

"W..who are you?" he asked, trying to stall for time. The pain was intense...the room was ice cold, but the silver chains binding him felt like fire on his skin.

"Maelstrom." A hand slid out of the cloak. It was Caucasian, pale, and somewhat small. Fingers traced down Yugi's chest, running over some of the burns from the silver netting.

"Y..your voice...it sounds so...familiar." Yugi stated, revulsing away from the touch.

There was a malevolent chuckle. "Boy...this is not a Hollywood movie...I am not going to slip my cloak back and reveal who I am. The only sure victory is an anonymous one." And with that, she reached up, grabbing Yugi's hair in a fist, slamming his head against the stone. Stars and sparks of color swam before his eyes as they slid unfocused.

Her snake like tongue came out again, licking the blood on his chest. He could feel her hot breath slithering on his skin. Grabbing a silver plated dagger, she placed the point at his chest. Dipping the blade tip in a pot of something that steamed, she pulled it out, liquid silver dripping from the tip.

Flesh sizzled, creating a sickening stench of burned and destroyed flesh. The blade sliced on his skin as she would make one cut, dip the blade, make another cut, and dip the blade again. Yugi screamed in pain.

The hand suddenly stopped. "You are resilient." Maelstrom purred. "You shouldn't even be able to be conscious." Yugi's head hung low, sweat dripping on the stone floor.

"Go to hell, bitch." Yugi spat, flesh burning at the chains that held him, but his legs too weak from blood loss and pain to support him.

Maelstrom laughed. "Oh, no...why would I do that? It is much more fun up here." Stepping closer to Yugi, the hot breath on his chest, she leaned close. "I still smell him on you."

Yugi hung limply, a small whimper in his throat. Reaching a hand out, she ran her fingers delicately along his shaft. He jerked away in revulsion.

"You killed me once...torturing me to the worst hell there was...exile...abandonment...well, let's see how that feels to you...what will you do when Yami abandons you?"

Yugi looked up, the dull thud of the migraine and probable concussion showing in his eyes. "Yami won't abandon me. Our love is beyond time."

A primal growl of rage escaped her throat. Grabbing his arms, she jerked them out of the chains, shattering his hands with the force wrought to rip his hands through the shackles. Throwing him on the floor, still shackled at the feet, she put her foot on the back of his neck.

Whimpering, unable to use his hands or wrists, he tried to get up by his elbows. When she applied more pressure to the back of his neck, he quit resisting as breathing became more of an obstacle. Appearing in her hand, unbenownst to Yugi, was a large wooden handle covered in silver metal spikes. Adjusting her position accordingly, she shoved the handle up Yugi's anus, ripping the soft tissue there, blood pouring out. Yugi let out a scream of anguish, more bloodcurdlingly primal than any others ever made.

Suddenly, hearing something, she stood, jerking her head to the door. Jerking the handle out, causing more damage, she grabbed Yugi by the throat, throwing him against the wall, his back sliding down until he lay on his side on the floor. Quickly, she dissipated as the door was shattered, seven people rushing in.

Yami's blood ran colder than before as he saw his aibou in the bloody shape he was in. Running to Yugi, he gently put a hand on Yugi's face. Eyes fluttering open, Yugi looked, seeing Yami. " _Unmei no hito_ , you came." he whispered, before sliding into unconsciousness.

Hinata gasped in sheer horror as Naruto gripped her, pulling her into a hug, both seeing the gruesome sight. The others just gaped, bile rising in Joey's throat. There, carved in Yugi's chest and stomach in silver cuts, blood drying in rivulets down from the slices, were the words "You can't save him."

Chapter 15: The Rescue

"Yami...please, let me get to him." Sakura pleaded. Yami looked up at Sakura. Gently laying Yugi's head down, he backed away, nodding.

"Yes...please. Save him. Save my Aibou." He stood and stepped back. Seto came and stood, one hand on Yami's shoulder, the other wrapped around Joey. Hinata stood, still wrapped in Naruto's embrace, fingertips nervously playing with each other. Naruto watched, concern in his bright blue eyes. Sasuke stood by, impassive.

Naruto knew how much Yugi meant to Yami. He had seen the painting of the fountain, he remembered the long talks and sorrow in Yami's face. Yugi must be the reincarnation of Heba. That is the only one Yami would call Aibou. It might mean partner to most, but to Yami it was not a label, but a position. His partner, his soulmate, the only one to fill his other half.

Sakura knelt over Yugi, crossing her fingers into a cross formation. A light green mist came from her fingers. She ran her hands slowly over Yugi's chest. As she passed over each cut, a small clink could be heard. Yami looked and saw that she was pulling the silver out of the cut and dropping the fragments on the floor, the wound healing after each movement. She then tended to his wrists. While she did that, Sasuke went over, freeing Yugi's feet from the restraints. She then moved to Yugi's ankles. Finally, she moved to his head.

After about 10 minutes of that painstaking work, Sakura sat back on her heels, sweating. "I have stopped the bleeding, and healed the wounds as best as they will, considering this is silver. Were are allergic to silver, correct?" She looked to Joey.

"Y..yea." Joey answered, eyes on Yugi. "Is my Alpha gonna be okay?" He looked to her, eyes red, puffy, and pleading.

"He should be fine. He lost a lot of blood, went through a massive amount of trauma, but his heartbeat is good. He may have some scars." She frowned. "We need to get him home, so he can rest comfortably."

"Yea..." Joey stepped forward, but Yami was already there, gently picking Yugi up.

"I can take him Yam', I know the quickest way to the prowl house." He reached for Yugi but stopped as Yami gave him a death glare.

"He is not leaving my sight." Yami said coldly.

Joey flinched as if struck. Seto raised an eyebrow. "This is hardly Joey's fault." Seto said in a clipped tone.

Yami glared at Seto. "I never said it was. It is _you_ I blame." he snarled at Seto.

Seto's cobalt eyes widened in surprise. "Me?"

"Yes, you." Voice dripping venom, he continued. "If you could have kept your dick in your pants, Kisara wouldn't have felt the need to win you back, thus making a deal with the devil." Yami sneered.

Seto's eyes went icy. "Really? This is my fault? Who was the one who let Yugi go out alone?"

Yami's fangs grew. "I would watch myself, _cousin"_ Yami spat. "I would hate to make Joey a widow."

Naruto disentangled himself from Hinata and stood between the two. "Alright, everyone just calm down! Yami," he looked at Yami, getting in Yami's line of sight so he could make eye contact. "Take Yugi home. Joey," he looked at Joey, "take Seto anywhere but home for an hour or two." Joey nodded, tugging at Seto, grabbing his hand. Seto gave one last glare at Yami, turned, and followed Joey.

"Guys," Naruto turned to Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata, "let's go get some ramen!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami gently lay Yugi in bed. He had Rafael bring in some warm water and wash clothes. Dipping the cloth in the water, he gently wiped away the blood. Tears filled his eyes as he wiped each cut. "I am so sorry, Aibou." he whispered. Yugi remained asleep, eyes closed.

After satisfactorily cleaning Yugi, Yami went to make sure the fireplace was stoked, to keep the room warm. Yami then stripped and climbed into bed, gripping Yugi to him. He pulled up the covers, tucking Yugi in. Laying next to Yugi, he watched him sleep, never letting go.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey took Seto to the park. "What are we doing here?" Seto asked. Joey shrugged.

"I just wanna keep ya away from Yam' dat's all." he said, looking at Seto.

Seto looked down, and away. Joey grabbed Seto's hand. "It isn't your fault." Joey whispered. Seto's eyes were sad.

"But, it was. It was not intentional, but it was because of me. Yami has every right to be angry."

Joey gulped, then looked around, trying to think of something to say. "Well...you's are family...ya know, blood is thicker 'den water."

Seto looked at Joey, smiling sadly. "I don't know if Yami will forgive that easily. I would not. If the situation was reversed, I would have killed Yami. You being hurt is unthinkable."

Joey gulped, eyes wide. "B...but Yami is your cousin!"

Seto leaned down, kissing Joey lightly. "Yes, but you are my life."

Chapter 16: Waking Up

Yugi jerked awake, scared. Looking around, he saw he was in his bedroom at Yami's. Calming, realizing it must have been a horrific nightmare, he settled back in the bed. Stretching, he smiled, amethyst lighting upon his lover's face, crimson eyes staring at him. "Hey, Yami." He leaned over, kissing Yami. Yami kissed him back tentatively.

"Aibou, are you okay?" Worried eyes drank in his appearance.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Confused, he scrunched his eyebrows, looking to Yami.

Worry was definitely in the crimson now. "Because you were brutalized last night?"

Amethyst went from happy to upset. "I was hoping that was a nightmare. I feel okay, how can that be?" Suddenly the happy mood went away. Yugi wrapped his arms around himself. Sighing, he snuggled closer, tears in his eyes as he relieved the memories of last night.

Yami tilted his head up, kissing his nose. "Sakura used her healing chakra on you." Yugi nodded, tears spilling. Yami's heart ripped at his Aibou's pain. "I am so sorry." Yami choked. "I failed you. I am supposed to protect you, and I failed."

Yugi snuggled closer still to Yami, cheek on his chest. "Is not your fault." He sniffled, rubbing his nose. "I went with Kisara to check out a surprise for you." He said gloomily. Guilt ripped Yami more. Suddenly, Yugi lifted his face, eyes wide, pain fresh. "What did you see?" he whispered.

Yami swallowed thickly. "Y..you were lying in a pool of blood, you...had cuts on..." his hand drifted to Yugi's chest. The scars were there, just pale. Yami shut his eyes. "I am so sorry, Aibou. So very, very sorry." Yami gripped Yugi to him. Yugi closed his eyes, hugging Yami back.

 _What will you do when Yami abandons you..._

Yugi shook his head, eyes shut tight. The memory of those words haunting his mind...

 _What will you do when he finds out you cheated on him...my hand was on you, I violated you..._

Yugi whimpered, scooting away from Yami.

Yami felt like his heart was squeezed out of his chest into dust on the floor. Yugi...Yugi blamed him. He tried to apologize and Yugi didn't want him touching him. Yami felt ill, truly sick to his stomach. He was breathing shallowly, his head starting to throb. "Yugi...please...please forgive me." He reached out to Yugi.

 _You're unclean. Defiled. How could Yami ever want you? Yami, the Pharaoh, deserves better than your filth._

Yugi's eyes grew wide. He jumped up, sprinting from the room, down the hall, to a small storage closet. Crawling inside, he shut and barred the door. Vomiting at losing his mate, the tears poured forth, running in streams down his face as he silently sobbed his heart out.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey woke up, laying across the bottom of the bed. Seto was sleeping in the bed, on his side. Joey smirked. Seto looked so cute sleeping. Joey leaned up, pawing at the bangs in Seto's eyes. Seto pushed a hand across his bangs, wrinkling his nose, and rolled on his back, still sleeping.

Joey grinned. He took a finger and poked Seto's chin. No response. He poked Seto's nose. No response. He poked Seto's lips. Seto grimaced, rubbing his mouth. Joey chuckled. Seto opened one eye. "What are you doing, Mutt?"

Joey frowned playfully. "Waking you up." Seto groaned and rolled over, looking at the clock. "It's not even 7pm yet, let me sleep."

Joey crawled onto Seto's back, sitting on it. "Nope, its time to get up. I'm hungry. Feed me." He started batting at Seto's hair.

Seto growled. "You're starting to piss me off, Mutt." He flipped over, flipping Joey to the mattress and pinning him. "I don't like being woken up."

Joey grinned. "Tough." He stuck his tongue out and licked the tip of Seto's nose.

"What the fuck, man?" Seto jumped up, wiping his nose in disgust. "That's gross."

Slipping on pants, he headed to the door. Opening it, he looked back at Joey.

"Coming?"

Joey jumped off the bed, happily chasing after Seto. Seto took him to the kitchen and started looking for food. "Here." Seto tossed Joey a raw tuna steak as he kept looking. Joey jumped up on the counter and sniffed it and smiled, taking a big bite out of it. Seto looked up, and upon seeing that, rolled his eyes. He kept digging in the fridge.

Suddenly, the food seemed to expand and stick in Joey's throat as his eyes landed on an object. When Seto didn't hear Joey's chewing after a few seconds, he looked back at Joey, who was staring at him. "What?" Seto asked.

"I...I jus' wasn't expectin' to still see _dat_." He motioned to Seto's left hand, where his wedding band was still on. Seto looked to Joey. Shutting the refrigerator door and walking up to him, he put his hands on Joey's cheeks. Putting a gentle kiss on Joey's lips and never breaking eye contact, he pulled the ring off and laid it in his left hand. Forming a fist, he held his left hand up and squeezed. As he opened his hand, crushed powder fell from his hand, the ring nothing but dust.

"Better?" Seto whispered.

Joey just nodded, setting down the tuna steak. "I promise ya won' regret pickin' me over her." he whispered, squeezing Seto tight.

Seto looked back into Joey's eyes. Speaking softly, looking lovingly into his lover's eyes, Seto whispered, "The only thing I am gonna regret is the fleas."

Joey's eyes narrowed. "I ain't got no fleas." He scratched right behind his ear at that exact moment, and Seto had to laugh. Joey frowned. "Shaddap."

Joey hopped off the counter. "Le's go check on Yug." he suggested. Seto hung back.

"I don't think Yami wants to see me right now."

"So?" Joey queried. "Yug'll wanna to see ya. " He tugged Seto along towards Yami's bedroom.

Chapter 17: The Depths

Ryou stood over the sleeping form. Worried chocolate took in the pale complexion. Suddenly, darkness enveloped Ryou's sight as arms encircled him.

"Before you go blowing me to bloody fucking hell, it's me." A voice whispered huskily in his ear.

Ryou sighed. "Really Bakky, you need to be more careful! I could have destroyed you." As the hands left, Ryou turned, giving a scolding look at Bakura.

Backing off, hands upraised, Bakura chuckled. "Heh, might be fun..." waggling his eyebrows, he turned to the sleeping form. "What's up with Sleeping Beauty?"

Ryou sighed, taking in Ravyn's form. "She has two souls in her. When conscious, it drives her insane. We are trying to figure out a way to either allow her to host the other soul without insanity, or separate the two. Right now we have her in a magically induced sleep."

Bakura looked at Ryou. Shrugging he stated, "Why not do the Duality Ritual?"

Gasping, Ryou looked at him, eyes wide. "Bakky, we can't! It's forbidden!"

Raising an eyebrow, Bakura looked at Ryou. "First, quit fucking calling me Bakky or Bakura. Call me by my name, Akeifa. Second, something is only forbidden as long as the end result is less desired than the fucking punishment is feared. So which is it?" Akeifa narrowed his eyes. "Do you want to save this girl more, or are you too afraid of the punishment?"

Ryou looked down, ashamed and confused. He always followed the rules. That is what makes a good spellcaster. Yet Bak...Akeifa was making what seemed like a good point. Ryou sighed. "I don't know. I need to think this through."

Akeifa walked past. At the door he stopped. "I'll leave you with this. If it was a choice between letting you die and using a forbidden anything, I'd go to the ends of fucking oblivion to save you." With that, he walked out the door. Ryou stood, a blush spreading and a warmth touching his heart...but with a _very_ confused brain...

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Kurasha looked at Aeon. "What are you doing?" Aeon was rocking on her feet, looking like she wanted to jump out of her skin.

"C'mon, let's fly!" Smiling she launched off the roof of The Pyramid, body reshaping, copper scales forming, sending off a colorful pattern as her scales reflected the light as she took to the sky in flight in her dragon form.

Kurasha could do no more than laugh at the younger dragon as she too took to the air, royal blue scales appearing as her body changed and she chased after the wyrmling.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Wow! Look at that! Real dragons! How cool!" Naruto yelled from the counter where he and the other three ninjas were eating Ramen.

All four looked up and watched the dragons fly off in the night.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Knock,knock, knock,knock, knock...the knocking sound finally broke through Yami's despair. Raising his head, he dejectedly announced, "Come."

Seto walked in past Joey, much to Joey's annoyance. Seto stopped still, taking in the scene...there was nothing left intact of the room except the bed and painting. Any other furniture was shattered, splintered, and mangled beyond repair. Seto raised an eyebrow. "Angry?"

Yami looked up. At that moment, Seto shoved Joey out of the room with such force that Joey landed against the other wall. Seto slammed the door shut while yelling "Stay out, he's beyond control."

Seto looked at Yami. His fangs were the longest Seto had ever seen. There was a primal look in his eyes...but it was those eyes that told him all he needed to know. No longer were they crimson, but pure black, no white even showing.

Seto was slightly confused, but then realized that Yugi was nowhere to be found. Looking at Yami, he stated, "Atem...it is I, your cousin. You are deep in the Depths. You need to come out for Heba."

At the mention of the name Heba, Yami launched himself at Seto, fangs bared, fingernails elongated into claws. Luckily, when in the Thirst, Depths, or Throes, Yami was slightly less fast than normal...which gave Seto an edge. Seto dodged, grabbing Yami by the neck. Slinging Yami against the wall with a bone shattering thud, he looked at Yami again. "Whatever is going on, we will fix it, Cousin."

Yami just growled and screamed in primal rage, launching at Seto again. As Seto dodged, Yami flipped and was able to dig a claw in Seto's shoulder. Stumbling, Seto cried out in pain.

At that moment, Joey came through the door, splinters flying everywhere as the door imploded. A look of pure rage on his face as he took on his wereleopard form. "You will not hurt Seto!"

"No!" Seto yelled, as Joey sunk his fangs in Yami's shoulder. Yami turned, grabbing Joey by the neck and threw him into the wall with the force of a semi truck. Joey whimpered, trying to get up, the pain excruciating as he spit out the chunk of Yami's shoulder he had taken with him.

At that moment, Seto's boot came down hard on Yami's throat, stopping any movement from Yami. Cackling with rage or madness, Yami spat, "Go ahead, kill me. I have nothing left ."

At that comment Seto rolled his eyes, shaking his head and issued a swift kick to Yami's head, rendering Yami unconscious.

Joey limped over to Seto, licking Seto's shoulder, whimperng. Seto turned to Joey, concern showing through the cobalt. "Damnit Mutt, what were you thinking? He could have killed you while in the Depths!"

Joey nuzzled Seto's face, saying nothing, but opening up his emotional link. Seto's breath caught in his throat at the love pouring out. Looking into honey, he put his forehead against Joey's. "I love you too, Mutt." He picked up Joey in one arm. Looking at Yami, he grabbed Yami's arm with Seto's free arm and drug Yami back to Seto's room. Looking to Rafael, "Clean this up, replace what was damaged." Rafael nodded.

After making sure Joey was comfortable, he secured Yami in a coffin, opening the top of it so he could see Yami's face when Yami awoke. Pulling out an odd cobalt rope, he bound the coffin shut.

Turning, he saw Joey's curious stares. "I'm binding him. I don't know if he will be in the Depths when he wakes or not. Now..." seeing that Joey had returned to human form, "let's get you cleaned up." Joey, too tired to resist, followed meekly into the bathroom and stepped into the hot shower Seto started for him.

After finishing, Joey came out, crawling into bed. Seto wrapped his arms around Joey, both slipping over the edge into a blissful sleep.

Chapter 18: Rebuilding Bridges

Darkness. Head pounding. Smell of vomit. Yugi lifted his head gingerly, opening his eyes, stomach rolling at the smell. Where was...oh, right. Amethyst took in the surroundings.

 _Look, your body is a constant reminder...you can't save Yami. You bring him trouble. You were the reason he died before._

Stifling a cry in his throat, he shakily stood. Yami, his beloved Yami...Squeezing his eyes shut, he shook his head. What could he do...he wasn't worried about himself...but Yami...Yami deserved the world. The best. And he was...looking down at himself, he sighed.

 _You are weak. Worthless. Dirty. A disgrace. You probably asked for it...you wanted to be someone else's plaything._

No! Yugi shook his head, trying to clear those thoughts out of his mind. Yugi stood, as tall as his petite frame would let him. He was Alpha of the Domino Prowl. His prowl needed him. His sheer force of will kept him alive. Yami may not want him, but he had to go on for the prowl. Unbarring the door and peeking out, he saw no one. Transforming, he took out at a run for the prowl house.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami awoke, head pounding, shoulder hurting. Looking around, he realized the source of his discomfort. "Damnit Seto, unbind me!" he commanded grouchily.

Seto opened one eye and looked at Yami. Seeing crimson instead of black, he slipped out of Joey's embrace and came to stand in front of Yami.

"Are you done trying to destroy everything and kill me?"

Yami hung his head. "I am sorry about that...but please, let me out. I can't heal properly when bound. I am no longer a threat to anyone."

Seto looked at Yami. "Nope. Don't believe you." Yami's eyes went back to black and he thrashed in the coffin. "Damnit Seto! I will send you to the shadow realm if you don't let me out of here!"

Seto closed the coffin lid, muffling Yami's screams and shouts. Crawling back in bed, he took Joey back in his arms and slept.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Ready to go?" Naruto looked to the group. Seeing no resistance, he nodded. "Right. Just let me say goodbye to Yami." Walking away from the group, he went up to where Yami's office was. Yami wasn't there. Rubbing his neck, Naruto went down to Yami's bedroom. Seeing Rafael cleaning up a splintered door, he smiled. "Where'd Yami go?"

Rafael looked at Naruto and nodded down the hall. "Seto's room."

Naruto nodded, "Thanks!" He headed down to the aforementioned room and heard muffled noises. Raising an eyebrow, he knocked. From the other side of the door, he heard an annoyed voice say "Who is it?"

"It's Naruto. I was looking for Yami."

"Hold on." A couple minutes passed. The door opened, Seto standing in black slacks, shirtless and barefoot. "Yami is in here, but I don't think he is going to pay attention to you." Seto led him over to a dark coffin with a dark blue rope wrapped around it, emitting a so glow.

Naruto looked confused. Seto opened the top and Yami glared out, eyes of onyx. "Wh..what happened to his eyes?" Anxiety laced Naruto's voice.

"He is in the Depths. My guess is he feels guilt over what happened to Yugi." Seto explained, arms crossed, eyes on Yami.

"Is there anything I can do to help? I mean, it wasn't his fault at all." Naruto looked to Seto.

Seto laughed humorlessly. "What could _you_ do?"

"I dunno...what would snap Yami outta this?"

"I don't know, or I would have already done it." Seto stated coldly

"Well, what about Yugi? Would it help Yami to see him?"

"I don't know. Maybe, or maybe it would set Yami off more. I have never seen him this bad." All eyes looked over at the coffin, where Yami was snarling and thrashing about like a wild animal.

Joey spoke up then. "I'll take ya to see him. But, if he don' wanna come, dat's dat, got it?"

Naruto nodded.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi crawled back into the prowl house and went to his room. Luckily, with it being so late, many were out or asleep. Curling up in a ball on his bed, he soon fell into a fitful sleep.

"Yug', wake up." It felt like he had only just closed his eyes...Yugi opened his eyes to the familiar voice. "Hey, Joey. What time is it?"

"About 3 am. Look, someone wanted to come talk to ya." Joey stepped out of the way. Naruto came up, sitting on his knees by the bed.

"Hey." Naruto scratched his head.

"Hi." Yugi looked confused.

"So, uh...how are you feeling?" Naruto asked, eyes watching Yugi.

"Better. Oh...uh, thank you and your friends for saving me and healing me." Yugi's eyes were downcast, his cheeks dusted a light pink.

"Nah, forget about it. That's what friends are for, right?" Naruto smiled kindly at Yugi.

"Yea, I guess." Yugi pulled his knees up, the blanket around him, huddled in a ball.

Naruto looked at Joey, who shrugged his shoulders, worry in his honey eyes. Naruto cleared his throat. "So, uh, can I ask you a question?"

Yugi looked up, warily. "Okay. But I don't have to answer it."

Naruto grinned. "Fair enough." Naruto then looked seriously at Yugi. "Yami's my friend. I don't make friends easy, but when I have them, I don't lose them easy. I want my friends happy. Do you love Yami?"

Amethyst eyes widened, looking up at Naruto. "Of course I love Yami! He is my everything...I've fused with him. And..and now I've lost him." Tears overflowed from Yugi's eyes.

"Look...I don't think you've lost him as much as you think you have. Have you even talked to him? I don't know what happened to you, but Sakura told us about your wounds, so I can imagine what happened." Yugi hugged himself tighter.

Naruto continued, softer. "If you love someone, you fight for them...you don't give up on them. Yami went nuts trying to find you. I don't think he would look down on you for what happened. Stuff happens all the time we can't control. Whatever happened wasn't your fault...but if you don't talk to Yami, what happens from now on is."

"Yug, just come back with us and talk to him." Joey pleaded.

"What if he hates me?" Yugi whispered.

"Then you won't be any worse off than you think you are now. But what if he doesn't...what if he is missing you as much as you miss him?" Naruto asked, quietly, concern in his blue eyes.

Yugi thought for abit, then nodded. "Ok, I will go talk to him."

Naruto stood, a big grin on his face. "Things are gonna be fine, believe it!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey looked at Yugi as he walked back into the club. "Let's check his bedroom first, eh Yug?"

Yugi nodded. The trio headed downstairs, stopping at Yami's door. Yugi thought it odd that Rafael wasn't there, but shrugged it off. As he got closer, he noticed that the door was splintered. His eyes got wide.

Running inside, he stopped, surveying the damage. Wreckage and splinters were everywhere. Naruto looked around. "Wow...man, I didn't know he had such a temper. What a beast!" He eyed Yugi out of the corner of his eye.

"What happened?" Yugi looked at Naruto and Joey. Naruto shrugged. Joey looked down.

"Yug, I dunno...he just...he wadn't da Yami we know. He just...Yug?" Joey looked up as Yugi was walking towards the fireplace.

Naruto noticed what Yugi was walking to. Surveying the area, he piped up "Huh, the painting of you two and the bed are the only things to survive." He looked at the painting again. "You two look really good together."

Yugi turned to the two men. "I need to find Yami."

Chapter 19: Forgiven

Joey silently led the way to Seto's room. He wanted to warn Yugi, but if he did, he feared that the fragile determination in Yugi's eyes might disappear. Appearing at Seto's door, he hesitated, then knocked.

Seto warily opened the door. Seeing Joey, he raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you knock, Mutt?"

Joey nodded his head over his shoulder at Yugi and Naruto. "Oh." Standing in the door, he looked hard at Yugi. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Yugi looked confused. "Ready for what?"

Just then, Yugi heard growling and snarling behind Seto. Yugi stood tall, recognition dawning. "Let me see him."

Seto shrugged, moving out of the way. Yugi walked in. Joey turned to follow but was stopped when Seto put a hand on his chest, shaking his head no. "He needs to do this alone." Joey frowned, but then nodded, and stood on the other side of the doorway, leaning back against the wall ready to help in a moment, as Seto closed the door behind Yugi.

Yugi walked in. Looking around, his eyes lighted upon a closed coffin standing upright in the corner. There was a strange blue cord wrapped around it, emitting a soft glow. The sounds were coming from there. Cautiously, Yugi crept up to it. Gently he opened the coffin top.

Onyx eyes met his amethyst. Yugi gasped, jumping back. He stared at the face of his lover. Yami lurched his head out, snarling, gnashing teeth, drool and spittle flying.

"Oh my...Yami..." he whispered, tears springing to his eyes. Yami growled, snapping at Yugi.

"Yami...what...happened to you?" Yugi's heart broke seeing his lover in such a state. Snarling was the only response.

"Yami...is this because of me? Is this...because of what I let happen...or because I left?"

A primal, gutteral scream was the only response.

Yugi heard scuffling at the door. _Joey, I am okay. This is between me and Yami._ The scuffling quit.

Yugi looked at Yami. He was so...primal. Swallowing hard, Yugi walked up to Yami. "I am going to undo this rope. I am then going to let you out so we can talk. You aren't an animal, and shouldn't be caged." Slowly he walked up, untying the cord. The cord fell away and Yugi opened the coffin.

Yami leapt from the coffin, tackling Yugi on the ground. Yugi lay there, eyes wide, staring at Yami but refusing to fight back. "Yami...I..I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you." Even in a feral state, Yami was still the most gorgeous being in existence. He felt air leaving his lungs as Yami's hands went around his throat. As Yugi's eyes started to close, he whispered, "I love you." and leaned up, cutting off his air completely, placing a gentle kiss on Yami's lips as darkness enveloped him.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami felt pressure on his lips, and he smelled Yugi, hearing Yugi telling him that he loved him. He shook his head. He felt like he was waking up from a month long coma. Looking around, it took him a few moments to realize he was in Seto's room. _Why the hell am I in Seto's room?_

Looking down, he gasped and jumped back. Laying under his hands was Yugi. Rushing back up, he pulled Yugi to him. "Aibou...please, Aibou...wake up."

Amethyst eyes fluttered open as Yugi rolled to his side, coughing, breathing air greedily.

Yami sighed heavily in relief. Yugi sat up, looking at Yami. Noticing the crimson, Yugi sighed, relief flooding through him. "Yami...are you okay?"

Yami shook his head. "What happened? Why did you come back?" Sad crimson stared at Yugi.

Yugi swallowed thickly. "I...I figured we needed to talk." Letting out a shaky breath, he met Yami's eyes. "If you don't want me a part of your life, I understand. But...we need closure."

Yami looked at Yugi, confusion on his face. "I have never said I don't want you as a part of my life. I don't have a life without you. You are my heart, my reason for being." He reached out, taking Yugi's hand. Kissing it gently, he looked at Yugi. "Whatever gave you that idea, Aibou?" he asked concernedly.

Yugi looked down, despair on his face. "I'm not...worthy of you. When I was taken captive, I...she...well, she touched me...and sh..shoved a spiked stick u...up my..."

Yami growled, pulling Yugi closer, silencing him by positioning Yugi's head in Yami's chest. "Shh, Love, you don't have to tell more. If anyone isn't worthy of anyone, it is I of you. You are so good, sweet, and gentle. I am but a monster. You did nothing to deserve what she did to you. But, I should have protected you, and I could not." Tears slipped down Yami's cheeks, wetting Yugi's hair.

Yugi looked up, and smiled. There was still pain in his eyes. He sniffled. "You came after me as fast as you could...you saved me. You love me. I cannot ask for more than that."

Yami smiled softly. "So, will you not leave me?"

Yugi smiled back. "Not if you will have me."

Yami pulled Yugi close, nestling him in his arms. They sat like that for awhile. Finally, Yami stood, offering a hand for Yugi. "We really should give Seto back his room."

Yugi nodded. Walking over to the door, Yami opened it. Outside, he faced Seto, Joey, and Naruto.

Yugi smiled at all of them. "Thanks, guys, for everything. And thanks, Naruto...what you said made sense."

Naruto rubbed his neck. "Aww, it was nothing. Hey, Yami...we are going back to the Leaf Village. If you need anything, just let me know."

Letting go of Yugi's hand, he went up and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "My friend, you have put me in a debt I can never repay. You have not only saved my Aibou, but brought him back to me when I thought he was lost. Anytime you need my help, you need but ask."

Hugging back, Naruto smiled and walked off. "That's what friends are for."

Seto walked up. "Rafael is refurnishing your room."

Yami raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"You destroyed almost everything. You were in the Depths." Seto shrugged and headed into his room.

Yami gasped, shocked. Joey looked at Yugi. "E'ryting okay, Yug'?" Yugi smiled and nodded his head. Joey grinned and hugged him. Ruffling his hair, he shouted, "Dat's good lil buddy! Better go get some rest!" Smiling, he walked into Seto'sroom.

Yami looked at Yugi. Silently walking back to their room, he said nothing until they were in there, after passing Rafael who was just putting the finishing touches on the new door.

After entering the room, he saw the bareness. Looking up above the fireplace, he sighed, seeing the painting still intact.

"The bed and the painting." Yugi whispered. "What exactly is the Depths?"

Stripping down, Yami looked at Yugi. "Let's take a shower, get ready for bed, then I will explain all, okay?"

Yugi nodded, and shed his clothes. Stepping in the shower, the warm water sluicing over his skin, Yugi realized just how tired he really was. Neither man spoke, and both made short work of the shower. Stepping out, both dried o in a companionable silence.

After settling in the bed (after Yami stoked the fireplace), Yami pulled Yugi to him.

"A vampire has the emotional range of humans, but tends to feel emotions stronger. As a vampire ages, he can control his emotions so that normal events will not affect him the same as normal living beings. However, there are three phases, I guess you would say, that are more intense than any can understand. In these three phases, which can only be triggered by extreme events, all vampires can be pushed out of control."

Yugi listened quietly, head resting on Yami's chest. Yami continued. "There are the Throes, the Thirst, and the Depths. The first all experience is the Thirst. That is bloodlust. That happens when you are newly turned, or have been denied blood for a very long time. A vampire's eyes will bleed to an all blood red color. The vampire can remember what happens, but cannot contol themselves during it. They seek blood at all costs, from anyone. This one a vampire can learn to control with self discipline."

"The Throes is a rutting, primal mating state. Some vampires are more prone to this than others. Again, you can remember what happened but cannot control it. The eyes bleed deep blue. I have never actually experienced this one...but Seto has." A small chuckle escaped his throat as Yugi's eyes grew wide.

His face turning serious, he continued. "Finally there are the Depths. Basically this is the Depths of Despair. When a vampire's will to live leaves, when their heart is breaking, they can enter the Depths. Their eyes bleed black, they become destructive or catatonic, and they remember nothing. This is usually the point when they become caged, bound, buried, or killed, as there is no recorded returns from the Depths...until now."

Looking down, he saw that beautiful amethyst. "So you see, Aibou...it is you who saved me...three thousand years ago and today." He kissed Yugi's nose.

Yugi smiled and yawned, eyes closing. As Yami's eyes slid closed, he opened them. "Aibou?"

"Mmm?" Yugi asked sleepily.

"What does _unmei no hito_ mean?"

Yugi snuggled closer, yawning once more. "My soulmate." he said, drifting off into sleep, Yami encircling him protectively in his arms, a smile of pure joy on his face.

Chapter 20: The Target

"Maelstrom is the oldest Chaos Demon, that we are sure of." The cloaked figure stated, bowing on a knee in front of Yami's desk. Yami turned to Seto, eyebrow raised. Seto looked back, impassively.

It had been two days since Yugi had come back. Two days since Yami let Yugi out of his sight. Even now, knowing that Yugi was with the third best protection, Joey, he was still worried and wanted this meeting over with, and quickly.

Seto looked at the bowed figure. "Ji-Jin, have your compatriots deciphered the reason for her attacks always centering on us?"

Ji-Jin looked up, his perfect Asian featues marred only by a thin scar from his le temple down midway to his jaw. His brown eyes were a deep pool of secrets. "Not at this time. We are still tracking her movements, but we lost her. Our trackers will find her again, though...do not fear. It is more difficult since she is a demon. She can slip dimensions, which is one place we may not go."

Yami stood as Ji-Jin stood as well, his short blond hair a spiked, striking contrast to his tanned skin. "Do any know an expert on Chaos Demons?" Yami asked, looking at the two.

Ji-Jin nodded. "Yes. He is... unpredictable, but I know a man who may be able to give you answers. We have been consulting him as well." Yami nodded. "I will retrieve him as quickly as possible."

After Ji-Jin left, Yami looked at Seto. Seto turned away. "Cousin, while I appreciate the united front you present with me in front of others, you haven't spoken to me in two days. Care to explain why?"

Seto stood rigidly, his back to Yami. He walked towards the door. But instead of being able to open said door, Yami appeared in front of it in an instant. Seto eyed a spot above Yami's head.

"Come now, Cousin...you were never one to play the silent treatment game."

Eyes blazing, Seto glared at his shorter cousin. "Game!" He hissed, pure venom in his eyes. "Is that all this is to you, a game?" Seto's hand encircled Yami's throat in an instant. "I could kill you this moment!"

Yami calmly stood, watching Seto. "But you won't. You never give away your plan by doing something so ineffectual as showing your cards. You know you cannot kill me by strangling me, as I do not need air, so what is this tantrum for?"

At that, Seto picked Yami up and slung him across the room, body slamming painfully into the stone. Yami stood, eyeing Seto. "Do not try my patience. Speak what ails you. But stop with the use of physical force. You are no match for me and you know it."

Seething, Seto got up, nose to nose with Yami. " _Sire,_ the next time you want to _play game_ s, do it where no one else gets hurt. You put Joey at risk with your pity party. Do it again, and I will end you, family or not."

Yami raised a brow. Breaking into a smile he hugged Seto. "Seto, you now finally understand the fear of losing someone. I do believe you have finally, truly met your soulmate in Joey."

Seto looked at Yami like he lost his mind. "He is my mate, yes...but Kisara was my soulmate."

Yami smiled innocently. "Oh, really now? Then why did you send Kisara away?"

Seto glared. "I am bound to the Mutt by wereleopard magic, so it wasn't fair to her." He crossed his arms.

Yami merely blinked. "Oh, of course." Walking to the door to go check on Yugi, he looked back over his shoulder. "Let me leave you with this though...Your loyalty to your family is beyond reproach. You have protected Mokuba and I for 3,000 years. You have stated that you would lay your very being down for Mokuba or I."

Seto sighed. "Yes. So? I remember what we spoke of. Your point?"

"You have never once threatened my life before, in 3,000 years. Now, you threaten it because Joey _could_ be in danger." Yami smiled triumphantly as he walked out, closing the door softly behind him.

"Whatever." Seto mumbled, not liking the truth in the statement.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Kisara stumbled in the dark, running. That lady lied to her! Seto still refused her. She needed someplace to think, rationally. She had been running for several days; she lost count. The look of betrayal and anger in Seto's eyes was damning. She would never have a chance with him now that she had betrayed his family. Finding an abandoned building, she crawled in. Looking around the building, she climbed the stairs to the second floor. Finding a bedroom, she crept in, sneaking into a closet and shutting the door. Sighing, she now had time to think.

What could she do? What would bring Seto back to her? Rubbing her forehead, she could only think of two things..Joey killing Yami or Mokuba or Joey cheating on Seto. Neither seemed like a plausible option.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Whimpering, she scooted to the back, but a long, slim hand caught her wrist, pulling her into the light. She gasped at the man holding her. He had a thin face, light brown hair cut close to his head, brown eyes, and a cold smile.

"What do you know about this...Yami?" He whispered, voice like silk.

Kisara stood still, eyes huge. She hadn't said Yami's name aloud, had she? Searching her brain, she jerked her head up when he laughed.

"Silly girl, you said nothing out loud. I can read your thoughts. Now, what would you say if I told you that if you helped me, I could help you get Seto back? Hmmm?"

Kisara laughed bitterly. "I'd say I have heard that lie before."

The man smiled a patronizing smile. "Damien Dahrk has never been a paragon of honesty. In any event, I am. Now, Seto can't be with Joey if Joey is dead now, can he?"

Kisara looked at the man. Murder? Was she really ready to go that far? She gripped her hands into fists. She mustn't...looking down, she saw the golden band on her left hand.

Seto chose Joey over her. So, how to break Seto and Joey. What can she so...what does Seto hate...or what does he value. He values Joey.

"How do I know you will do as you say?" She eyed the man warily.

He smirked. "You have no guarantee. But, you have no other better option."

She looked up, a firm determination in her eyes. _Seto said til death do us part_..."Deal, as long as he doesn't know its me."

The man smiled at her, holding out a hand. "Deal, Ms...?"

"Kaiba...Kisara Kaiba. And you are?"

"Ciacto."

Chapter 21: The Thrist

The blue scale danced lazily in her fingertips as she transferred it from one finger to the next in a ladderesque dance on her right hand. She hadn't wanted the fun to be over so soon...damn those ninjas! She may have to play with her pets sooner than she expected just to keep those ninjas busy...

Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself. She was in the perfect position now, she just had to play her cards right. And that meant staying calm. She wasn't sure how much power she needed, but she knew it was a great amount to face _him_. Puny, scrawny, worthless...yet _he_ was the one who held her downfall. Stupid amethyst colored eyes. Stupid vampire lover. Stupid vampire cousin. Stupid leopard best friend.

Sighing, she looked back at the scale. She still had a great deal of chaos to wreak to become more powerful...but... if the seal was opened that she laid...she laughed to herself. Oh, that would be beautiful...the chaos that would ensue…

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Seto stormed down to the bar, as much as Seto Kaiba stormed around anywhere. Club goers were dancing, laughing, having fun. He narrowed his eyes in disgust. He was agitated, on edge, and he didn't like that.

Yami was a dumbass. Seto looked around, needing a drink. He was fighting the primal urges in him to simply grab someone and drink. The logical thing to do would be sit down and analyze why he was feeling this way. However, Seto did not feel equipped to handle what he would find, so that was not an option.

About then, a young boy, no more than 22, bumped into him, dancing. Smiling up at Seto, he mumbled a drunken "sorry." Seto's eyes deepened, turning a blood red. The boy's face went white and he turned to run. Seto smiled a predatory smile and went to grip the boy's shoulder. Seto's hand was stopped by a small hand.

"Big Brother!" Mokuba looked up fearfully at his brother, whose face was twisted in rage. Seto flung his arm, sending the boy flying. Screams were heard as people started running for the exits.

Seto stalked to the boy he had been about to feast on. The boy was no match for him. Tripping, the boy fell. Looking back, he saw Seto closing in and whimpered, trying to crawl his way to freedom. Seto grabbed the boy roughly, sinking his teeth jaggedly into the boy's throat. Blissful, dark blood slid down his throat. He drank quickly, greedily, until there was no more.

"Damnit, Seto...what the fuck are you doing?" A baritone voice boomed out. Seto turned snarling.

Yami paled. "Fuck." he whispered. Running at Seto, Seto launched himself at Yami. Bodies clashed in the air, Yami's claws digging into Seto's shoulders. Seto ripped through the flesh in Yami's arm, tearing a chunk.

Joey and Yugi ran in, in leopard form. Yami caught sight of them. "Don't." He commanded. "Go, get Ryou and Rebecca to contain the..." Seto slammed into Yami, a deep gouge in his left cheek from Seto's fang. "club goers. They need hypnotized. Take Mok..." Seto raked his claw over Yami's left eye, blood spewing forth. Yami slammed Seto down, foot on his neck. "uba out of here. Dont let the club goers leave!"

Joey and Yugi looked at each other. _Joey, do crowd control._ Tears in his eyes, Yugi went to Mokuba as Joey headed to the front yelling "Honda, Rafael, Allistair, HELP!" Yugi grabbed an unconscious Mokuba and sprinted off.

"Damnit Seto, it's me, your Cousin!" Blood leaking from his mouth, he dodged. Yami knew he could stop Seto, but he didn't want to kill him. However, Seto seemed hell bent on killing Yami. Yami knew it was the Thirst, but the question was...

Eyes flying open, he looked to Seto as the pain was immense. Seto stood above him, fangs bared, a wooden chair leg through Yami's heart.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi stopped, grabbing his chest. Ryou and Rebecca tripped over Yugi. Yugi waved them on, immediately realizing something was wrong with Yami. He ran back to Yami and skidded to a stop, horror on his face. _JOEY!_

Yugi ran to Yami as Seto stalked off. Picking Yami's lifeless body up, tears spilled on that beautiful face, even though marred by marks. "Please Unmei No Hito..." Yugi jerked his teeth against his wrist, blood pooling. He put his wrist to Yami's mouth. Blood slipped in his open mouth. Yugi waited, holding his breath. "Please, please Yami..."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey ran in, surveying the scene. Horror registered on his face as he saw Seto stalking toward him, a chair leg sticking out of Yami's chest. "Seto! Wha' dafuq ya tink you're doin?" He looked up in confusion at Seto's red eyes.

Seto snarled, reaching out to backhand Joey. "No ya don't." Quickly Joey leapt on Seto's back, opening his link, shoving his love through as his arms tried to restrict Seto's. Seto growled and flailed, trying to get Joey off him. Joey hung on, leaving the link open, until finally Seto stumbled, and fell to his knees, unmoving.

Joey cautiously came around in front of Seto. His eyes cobalt blue, but...tears...were flowing. Joey lifted Seto's head. "What have I done?" he whispered brokenly, grabbing Joey like a lifeline. Joey looked over his shoulder at the broken, lifeless body of Yami.

"I don't know." Joey rasped.

Chapter 22: The Expert

"Please..." Yami was confused. What was Yugi's voice doing as an echo? Why was Yugi pleading? And why the hell was Yami's face wet?

Crimson opened slowly, then flew the rest of the way open as memories registered. Trying to spring (in reality, crawling sorely) in front of Yugi, he rasped, the pain surging through his chest, "Yugi...behind me. Seto is..in the Thirst."

Yugi held Yami, trying to calm him. "Joey has Seto. Please, Yami, lay down." Yugi started kissing Yami's face. "Please, rest, don't hurt yourself." Yugi was smiling, tears coming from his eyes.

Yami's eyes landed on Seto. Seeing him calm, Yami relaxed. It was then he realized, he didn't know why, but.. "Yugi...I hurt."

That simple phrase tore through Yugi. "Seto stabbed you with a chair leg...wooden. H..how did you survive this? I thought you dead?"

Yami shook his head, chuckling slightly. "I am the oldest vampire...I have to be beheaded and burned. Now, please, I have to check on Seto, Mokuba, that boy, and the club goers...Wait...wooden? We don't have any wooden chairs...?" Eyebrows furrowed, another pressing need became evident. "I need blood. Can you get..."

"Shhh." Yugi put a finger on Yami's mouth. Keeping his gaze, Yugi bared his neck.

"Aibou...I can't. I remember what you said, how you despise it."

"Stop." Yugi stated, forcefully. "You need blood. I know wereleopard blood is potent. I also know you can get more blood faster through the neck."

Yami's lip quivered. Leaning up, smelling lilacs, he closed his eyes and sunk his fangs in Yugi's neck. As the blood coursed into Yami's mouth, he groaned. Yugi's blood tasted so amazing...so rich, so thick, so sweet. He was quickly regaining his strength.

Yugi's eyes slid closed at the exquisite feeling of the bite. It was almost orgasmic. It sent shivers down to Yugi's toes. He let out a purr.

Yami chuckled, pulling away, licking the wound until it healed. Pulling back, he looked at Yugi in the eyes. Smiling, he kissed Yugi's nose as Yugi's eyes were still glazed over. "Now...damage control." Yugi nodded, standing up as well.

Yami went over to Seto. Joey quickly stood between Yami and Seto. "Now, Yam' it wadn't his fault..his eyes were all red." Yugi started shaking. Now that Yami was safe, everything that happened washed over him. Yugi glared at Seto, trembling with rage.

"You! You bastard, look at me!" Yugi growled. Joey opened his mouth to protest. Yugi whipped around on Joey. "Don't. If Yami would have attacked Seto, you would have tried to kill Yami. So...just don't." Joey closed his mouth guiltily and scuffed a foot.

Seto stood slowly, turning around. "He's right, Joey. I deserve whatever it is." Seto slowly turned around, facing Yami and Yugi.

Yugi stepped forward. "You son of a bitch...you almost took him from me. Why? Why! You have more control over your emotions than anyone else I know. I don't believe you slipped. So why?!" Tears slipped from Yugi's eyes as he glared at Seto, demanding answers.

Seto had found something keenly interesting on the floor he was staring at. "I...I don't know."

"You kill a man, knock your brother unconscious, and almost kill your cousin, and your only fucking answer is 'I don't know'? Why shouldn't I rip you apart right here?" Yugi was trembling more. Joey's eyes went wide.

"Yug', get ahold of yourself, please. Don't transform into Master Alpha." Joey pleaded.

Yugi didn't even acknowledge Joey. Yami put a hand on Yugi's face. "Aibou...please. I think I know the reason. Please, calm yourself."

At Yami's touch, Yugi calmed slightly, closing his eyes. Through clenched teeth, Yugi asked, "What is the reason?"

Seto and Joey stared at Yami as well. Yami looked at Seto, eyes calm. "You have been exercising enormous control over yourself for so long. You have been submerging your emotions. You have worn yourself thin. You need to analyze your feelings and stop this foolish guarding. Because I know what stopped you and brought you back."

Seto opened his mouth, then closed it, looking guilty. Joey and Yugi looked confused. "Yugi and I will take care of the club. You should go check on Mokuba and then talk to Joey."

Seto sighed and headed to the infirmary.

"Wait." Seto turned, looking at Yugi. Yugi walked up. "Understand this. If. You. Ever. Hurt Yami again, I will put a stake through your heart, rip your head off, and burn your body while I eat your heart. Understand?" Seto's eyes widened slightly, but he nodded, once. Joey followed quietly, confused.

Seto walked into the infirmary wing; Mokuba was sitting up drinking a ...

 _Blood shake_? Joey gagged.

"Big Brother!" Mokuba jumped off the bed, hugging Seto.

Seto winced. "I don't deserve this."

"Of course you do, Big Brother! You didn't mean to hurt me." Mokuba's eyes shone with love up at his brother.

Seto sighed, looking down at Mokuba. "You are so young, yet so old. I am sorry, Mokie."

"Eh, forget about it. I impaled your leg with your own staff when the Thirst hit me. Let's say we're even." Giving a hug and lopsided smile, he crawled back on the bed and drank more of his blood shake.

Seto sat down, Joey sitting next to him. Mokuba then spent the next several minutes giving Seto the lowdown on the shows he was watching, including something called "Lifestyles of the Rich and Bloodless." Seto thought the name in poor taste.

After 45 minutes, Mokuba was released. Saying his goodbyes, Mokuba went off to do ... well, Seto did not want to think about it. Mokuba had the body of a teen, but a 2,995 year old mind. Sighing, Seto looked at Joey, who had been unnaturally quiet this whole time. "Let's go talk, Mutt."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Several mindslips later, (Yugi found out that was the term Yami used when he "suggested" something to a susceptible mind) the club's patrons had been convinced that nothing abnormal had happened in the club, it was just closed for an annual cleaning.

Walking back in the club, clean up was already underway. Yami walked over to the dead man. Honda came up. "Bad news, boss...this kid...is the Mayor's grandson."

Yami's eyes widened. "Fuck. Get me an audience with the mayor. No one speaks of what happened here. Fuck!" Yami stormed off, Yugi following. Suddenly, something caught Yami's eyes and he changed course, heading to his office. Walking in, letting Yugi in as well, he closed the door.

Yugi's hair immediately stood on end at the sight. There, in Yami's office, was a thin Asian man with short, spiked blond hair. Behind him was a large male, at least 6'5", the size of a wall, with hazel eyes, black short hair, and a somewhat fuzzy black beard. Standing next to him, in pale blue robes, long brown, curly hair and deep brown eyes, was a short woman; her head only coming up to the bearded man's chest.

Yami nodded at the Asian man. "Ji-Jin."

Ji-Jin went down on a bowed knee. "I have brought you Red."

"Red?" Yami asked, eyes confused.

"Red is the expert on chaos demons."

Yami nodded. "Ah, I see. And who is this?" Yami smiled, reaching out to take the woman's hand to kiss.

Ji-Jin stood. "This is Allea. She would prefer not to be touched."

Yami stepped back, nodding. "My apologies."

Allea smiled in acknowledgment and forgiveness.

Yami looked at Red. "So, how are you an expert in chaos demons?"

"Because he used to be one." Allea said, hand on Red's arm as she spoke.

Chapter 23: Reasons

Joey watched Seto as he sat on the bed. Seto refused to sit, his back to Joey. Joey honestly did not know what to think now. He just watched his friend threaten to send his lover to the Final Death. While Joey thought Seto had a soul, and they would be together after Joey died and Seto experienced the FD, as Joey called it, he didn't want to think about the afterlife right now.

He didn't like silence, either. "So, uh, Seto...what did ya wanna talk about?"

Seto kept his back turned. Was it due to not wanting to face Joey, or being unable to face Joey...Joey didn't know. All he knew was Seto was hurting and he didn't know how to fix it.

Seto cleared his throat. "Look, I am not the mushy, romantic, fanboy type." Seto stated, quietly. "I don't give my love or my loyalty easily. But now," Seto turned, staring at Joey. "You have stolen both. And I don't know if I hate you or me more because of it." His eyes went to the floor.

Joey shook his head, confused. "I don't understand?"

Seto turned, walking to Joey and sitting on his knees in front of Joey, sinking in the plush carpet. Looking at Joey, his eyes were fierce. "You are my weak spot. What I felt for Kisara is magnified 100,000 times in my feelings for you. If anyone hurt you, I...I am not sure that I would be better than Yami. I have been denying the true depths of my feelings for you, because those feelings make me weak. I hate being weak."

Joey just looked at Seto. "Man, I don' know what you grew up with, but...love makes me strong. If something threatened you, I would kill."

Seto shook his head. "But don't you see, they can use you against me. I am the third oldest vampire. Not only am I putting you in danger, but..." he growled, shaking his head.

Joey leaned down, kissing Seto's forehead. "You've never truly been in love, have ya?"

Seto frowned. "I loved Kisara."

Joey smirked. "Not da same ting."

"I don't know what you're talking about then."

"Ya love Mokuba."

"Yes." Seto was starting to look annoyed.

"Fine...go talk ta Yami about dis, I don' wanna have dis talk wit' ya...it's as bad as da birds and bees."

Seto sighed. "Fine. But, Joey...I don't want to lose you...but I don't open up easily. You are going to have to be patient with me."

Joey smiled. "I've got da rest of my life."

With that, Seto smiled, leaning up, and taking Joey's lips in a gentle kiss.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami felt rather than saw Yugi's tension. Holding a hand out, he stopped Yugi from advancing. "I trust Ji-Jin, so I know he does not trust easily. If he has brought you both here, it is because he trusts you. So, please...sit. Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

Allea looked to Red. He shook his head no. "We are fine, thank you." she said, smiling.

Yami nodded. "Not to be rude, but...does he speak?"

Ji-Jin looked at Allea. "To no one but me. If he spoke, he would crush your eardrums. Each chaos demon has a special ability. His is strength. His voice is as strong as he. I am afraid, Yami," she smiled adoringly up at Red, "he is stronger than even you."

Yami raised an eyebrow. "How are your eardrums not crushed, if I may ask?"

Allea turned to him, smiling. "I used to be an angel on the High Council. Red was a power to be reckoned with, one of the top five chaos demons. We had run-ins with him before. Unbeknownst to us, he had fallen in love with an angel, and was trying to sneak into the heavens to warn us of the attack to save her. You see, his voice does not affect angels, so he could try to warn us." She gripped his hand, rubbing his arm.

"However, the High Council deemed him a threat and a diversionary tactic from the other demons, so they decided to sacrifice him. I believed him and his warnings as he was sealed in the Handcuffs of Light. I went to the holding area in the middle of the night and released him. The other angels, including Odion, cast me from the heavens, snipping my wings. Red found me, unconscious. He nursed me back to health." Red stepped behind her, putting his arms around her protectively, glaring at Yami, Yugi, and even Ji-Jin.

"Come to find out, the angel he was trying to save was me." She turned, putting a hand to his face, and leaning on tiptoe, kissed him.

Turning back around, she looked at Yami. "I wouldn't let the angels nor the demons know you knew us, if I were you. We are _personas non gratas_..."

Yami nodded. "Please, accept my offer to sleep up and rest after your journey. Perhaps tomorrow night we could meet with a couple other trusted people of mine, and discuss what we know and how you can help."

Allea looked at Red. Reading some expression on his face, Allea turned back around. "That will be fine, but we ask that the fewer the better. Our lives are in jeopardy helping you."

Yami nodded. Yugi stepped up. "Then why are you helping us?" his tone harsh.

"Because, it is the right thing to do. Also, Maelstrom has me marked for death." As Allea looked down, Red growled, squeezing her tightly.

Chapter 24: Revelations

The lightning in the sky flashed brightly. She looked up from under her cloak. The time was drawing close. She could feel it. They were in complete disarray. He was slipping. Soon, she would own him. He wouldn't be able to destroy her...she would own him. The thunder rolled, masking her cackle.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Red and Allea slept quite well, curled together. It was only when Ji-Jin came to wake them did Allea realize how well she slept. Smiling at Ji-Jin, she woke Red up. He grunted, rolling back over. "You might want to leave, in case he says something." Ji-Jin nodded, stepping out.

"C'mon, Red, time to get up." She kisses his cheek.

"I don' wanna." Came the deep, rumbling reply.

"Baby, they will be waiting." She sighed, smiling. This was the same as many mornings.

"Five more minutes." He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her down on the bed. She giggled, smiling up at him. "Mmmm, that's nice." He mumbled as he snuggled back down.

Allea had to admit, it felt nice. She lay there for a couple minutes, enjoying the strength in his arms, the smell of him. Sighing, she wiggled up. "Come on. Up. Now."

A hazel eye peeked over the cover. "Do I ha a?"

"Yes. I am going to get dressed. Hurry." Smiling, she went into the bathroom, braiding her hair. The squeaking of the mattress told her he was getting up.

She smiled at him as he walked in. He smiled back, then frowned at seeing the deep vertical gouges in her back where her powder blue wings used to be. He touched the tip of one and she flinched. "Does it still hurt?" he asked in concern.

Brown eyes met hazel in the mirror. "Every day."

Red growled in frustration. Allea turned, taking his face in her hands. "Hey...we're still together, that's what's important."

He growled, eyes turning sad. "You're mortal now. I'm still immortal." He left unsaid the rest.

Allea wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him in close for a kiss. "Then let's enjoy what we have."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami, Yugi, Joey, and Seto sat in Yami's office, waiting for Ji-Jin and duo. Yugi was tense, shooting glares at Seto. Seto carefully avoided looking at Yugi. Yami and Joey both sighed, noticing the tension. "Aibou..."

At that moment there was a knock on the door. "Enter." Yami's deep baritone vibrated through the air. The door opened and Ji-Jin walked in, followed by Allea and Red. Sitting around the table, Yugi spoke first.

"Well? How can you help us?"

Yami let out a huge sigh and smiled apologetically. "I am sorry...we are all just very, edgy..." he gave a warning glare to Yugi, grabbing Yugi's hand; Yugi promptly ignored the glare, but squeezed his hand. "Maelstrom has been wreaking chaos here lately, no pun intended. Both I and Seto almost died."

Red sat, eyes watching everyone, scowl on his face. Ji-Jin's eyes widened. "The Final Death?"

Yami nodded, but smiled. "Don't worry Ji-Jin, I am pretty tough to kill."

Ji-Jin could not help the worry that crept in his eyes, nor could he help what happened a few minutes later...

Allea sat, facing the foursome. Clearing her throat and folding her hands, she looked at them. "Chaos demons are not necessarily what you expect from the name. These demons derive from the Greek word daemon-D-A-E-M-O-N-which means a supernatural being somewhere between human status and god status. Demons can be good or evil, and each have a specific power that is gifted to them. Chaos demons do not follow Satan nor do his bidding. There is a High Demon, who has followers. The High Demon is the one who determines if their clan is good or evil."

Rubbing Red's arm, she continued. "Maelstrom is the highest of the High Demons, and she had only the most powerful in her control. Red's gift is strength, and he WAS" her eyes stared at each of them, emphasizing what she was about to say. "Repeat, was- her right hand demon. However, as I explained before, he broke away and left her to save me." Yugi and Joey were tense, Seto and Yami were strangely calm.

"Maelstrom is after Yugi. It has been foretold that a fey, spellcasting wereleopard would be her downfall or the key to her success. If she can sway or control him, she will, quite literally, rule the world because of his power. She gains power from chaos. If there is truly a great deal of chaos occurring here, she must be close."

Joey turned to Seto. "Seto, dese people are puttin' you in more danger! And dis Ji-Jin...what do ya know about him? We may be walkin into a trap!"

Seto looked at Joey. "Sit down." Joey blinked in the forcefulness of the statement.

Yugi looked at Yami. "Joey has a point. Y..."

Yami interrupted Yugi. "I trust Ji-Jin with my life."

Yugi glared at Yami. "It is dangerous! You trust too easily!"

Yami looked hard at Yugi. "He is my son."

Just then, Allea let out a whimper, holding her forehead. A faint green glow emitted from behind her hand. Red glared, grabbing her close. She pointed weakly at the book case. Red looked, glared and stood, taking her to the bookshelf. "She's here." She whimpered.

"Who?!" All five said in unison.

"Maelstrom"

All looked around. Allea pointed to a picture, accidentally knocking it down, glass shattering. "..this is...her." As she passed into unconsciousness, her hand fell from her forehead, revealing a pale M glowing green in the middle of her forehead that was not seen before.

As Yami bent to pick up the picture, he stopped. The picture was one taken about a year ago. Mokuba had gotten a new camera. He had taken some beautiful pictures of some of his friends in the garden. It was a fun day, people were being goofy. Several pictures were taken. Yami had always liked this one specifically. This one was of the fountain, and Rebecca sitting in front of it.

Chapter 25: Hidden Danger

The lights were fuzzy as she opened her eyes. Bright. Too bright. Why can't she move? Oh, right, Red has her. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her forehead.

"...ridiculous. Rebecca is one of your long time friends. You really think she has just been biding her time?" That was...Yugi's...voice.

"No one else was in the picture. Who else could it be? Unless you are insinuating that Allea made the death mark appear, caused herself to pass out, just because...?" That was Yami.

"Please..." Allea whispered.

"All we's sayin' is dat we don' know dese people. Why's ya all so ready to trust?" Right, Joey.

Seto's matter of fact voice cut in. "Because, if she were lying, you, my were friend, would be able to smell her deceit...unless, of course she was Maelstrom. But, if she was Maelstrom, why would she be here telling you her plans?"

Silence followed. Allea cleared her throat, opening her eyes. "Please...Maelstrom can jump bodies. That is her speciality. She uses a host body...her true form was destroyed centuries ago in battle. Her spirit is like a parasite, it must have a host body. Your friend...Rebecca...I am sorry, but she is most likely dead."

Silence greeted this statement.

"How do we know you are telling da truth?" She turned her head to Joey.

"Angels don't lie." She whimpered.

Red was trembling with rage, offended they would suggest such a thing, daggers glaring from his eyes.

Joey and Yugi exchanged glances. Yugi asked, "How do we know you were really an angel?"

Ji-Jin spoke up. "I vouch for her. She was an angel." Looking to Red for permission, Red glared. Ji-Jin backed down, sighing.

Yami's baritone voice sliced through the air. "Enough! I trust Ji-Jin, therefore I trust Allea and Red. You either have faith in me..." he glared at Yugi, who matched his gaze, "or you leave."

Tense silence followed. Finally, Yugi spoke, petulantly. "Fine. How can we defeat her?"

Allea sat up, pushing Red's arms down, so she could move hers. He tightened them around her waist.

"The host body is as vulnerable as the host body is. Meaning, if it's human, we can destroy it in any way humanly possible. However, even if we can destroy her host body, we haven't won. We have to find where her original soul is housed. She wouldn't be so foolish as to transfer her whole soul to one body. We will not be able to destroy her unless we destroy the host body too. Only if we destroy both bodies, will her spirit be destroyed, as it will have no where to go."

"Great, it's flippin' 'arry Potter." Joey grumbled.

Allea smiled weakly, still holding her head. "Sorry, it's not Hollywood. She can't split her soul into seven. Only two. However, all she needs is a touch to transfer that soul."

At that, Allea rubbed her head again and Red started to walk out of the room, carrying Allea. "No, stop." Red stopped, but looked at her. "She is within a mile of here...otherwise my mark would not activate. I cannot leave now."

Ji-Jin looked worried. "We need to move you all to safety."

Yami smiled. "No, Ji-Jin, we will stay here."

"Father! You must think of your _meito_."

Yami walked over, putting a hand on each shoulder. "I am. I have to be true to myself. What am I if I run? Haven't I always told you to stand tall, fight for what you believe? Besides, we need to defeat her, not run from her."

Ji-Jin looked down. Past memories rushed over him. The slaps. The hits. The night his mother died in his arms. The night his father tried to kill him. How the vampire saved him. The cold streets. The garbage. The hunger in his belly. Those warm crimson eyes. The feeling of belonging. The feeling of love. Tortured eyes looked up. "I will, as always, protect you with my life."

"Set me down." Allea said quietly, but forcefully. Red growled in anger.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

She walked into the club. Something was...different. Curiously, she walked up to Honda. "Hey, Honda, how's it going? We got any kind of meeting tonight?"

"Nope, not that I'm aware of. Want me to check with Yami?" Smiling, he took a bite of his sandwich.

"Nah, that's ok. I need to talk to him anyway." She smiled and started to head to the office.

"Wait, let me make sure he's not busy...he had somebody he was meeting with earlier." Honda stopped chewing.

 _Hey, boss, can Rebecca come up?_

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Wait!" Red stopped, growling again, giving Yami a look of death as he turned around. "She's here."

Red stopped. Allea whimpered louder, the mark brighter than before. Ji-Jin slipped blades out of his wrist sheaths.

 _Nevemind, Boss, she said she had something to do she forgot about and left._

Yami looked at everyone. "She left...said she has something to do."

Ji-Jin paled. "She knows."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Storming out, rage seething, she had caught his scent. That bastard! The one that left her for that pathetic little angel!

She stopped. _Fuck. That means they know who she is..._

 _This calls for a change of plans..._

She snapped her fingers, an evil smirk starting on her face.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Please, call a meeting. We have to prepare. She is more dangerous now. She knows we are here. She can smell him if she is within 800 feet of us."

Yami nodded. "Tomorrow night...the vampires cannot get here before then."

Allea nodded. "I understand. But we need to hurry." She looked at Red. "Please take me to bed, I need to rest." He picked her up, taking her out of the room.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Ryou sat, looking at the sleeping form. Perhaps he should perform...No! The ritual is forbidden!

Sighing, he got up, turning his back on Ravyn. She was getting worse. He had to make a decision...turning, he sighed, looking at Ravyn for several minutes. He risked Ravyn and Serenity if he did it. He risked Ravyn and Serenity if he didn't do it.

Finally...

 _Okay, I'll do it._ He turned, leaving, to _go_ prepare for the ritual.

As the door shut, Ravyn's eyes snapped open.

Chapter 26: The Location

LEMON WARNING BETWEEN ######. DON'T LIKE, NOT OF AGE, DON'T READ.

"What was all that about, Aibou?" Yami shut his bedroom door, staring at Yugi. It had been about two hours to get messages sent, find out that his meeting with the mayor could not happen until three days from now (something about traveling), and get the club beefed up security wise.

Yugi turned, looking at Yami. "What was all what about?" he mocked. Nonchalantly he sat on the bed, pulling off his shoes.

"No games, Yugi. You have never been that disagreeable or forceful before. What is going on behind those beautiful eyes?" Sitting down on the bed, he took Yugi's hands. Yugi jerked away, standing up and stalking to the fireplace in sock clad feet.

Crimson eyes widened at the rebuke. "Oh, I don't know...you died, came back, told me you had an adult son, and one of your dear friends is the Big Bad trying to kill us all. Nothing is going on behind these eyes!" he sneered angrily.

Sighing, Yami looked at him. "First, I did not die...I was unconscious. Second, I did not come back, more like I came to. Third, I haven't had a chance to talk to you about Ji-Jin...we haven't had alot of down time. And fourth, nothing truly surprises me anymore." Looking at his hands, he picked at a hangnail.

Yugi turned around, stalking over to the bed. "Well excuse me for not having 3,000 years of patience and wisdom in my reserves. I almost fucking lost you! It's a little more than I can take!" Finally breaking down, he started sobbing. Yami caught him easily and laid him on the bed.

"Shhh, Aibou. I am here, we will not lose each other again." He ran a hand down Yugi's cheek in a comforting way.

"Y..you can't promise that." Yugi said, tears still running.

"No one can. But I refuse to believe that just after finding you again, I would lose you. Fate may be a bitch, but I don't believe her to be that big of a bitch." Smiling, he kissed Yugi's head.

Yugi hugged Yami tight. "I don't wanna think anymore. Hold me, please? But promise to tell me about Ji-Jin tomorrow?"

"Gladly." Yami pulled Yugi close. Yami wanted to be more...physical with Yugi, but Yugi wasn't emotionally ready after the kidnapping. Yami would wait. He was happy to have Yugi. Kissing Yugi on the forehead, he snuggled down.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Red lay Allea on the bed. She was already out cold. Red wanted to leave, wanted to go rip Maelstrom to pieces. But if he left, Allea was left unprotected. He couldn't risk that. He couldn't risk Ji-Jin making a mistake. If he lost Allea...

Shaking his head, he paced. He looked over at Allea as she moaned in her sleep. The death mark was gone...that was good, that meant Maelstrom was farther away. All Maelstrom had to do was get eye contact with Allea, and she could crush Allea's mind. Allea still had some angelic powers, but he didn't know if she could withstand that.

Sitting on the bed, he covered her up, watching her sleep.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"So, ya got any kids?" Joey asked warily, watching Seto.

Seto looked at Joey like he sprouted three heads. "No."

"Ok, jes' checkin'." Joey smiled. Seto raised an eyebrow.

"I am going to the funeral."

Joey choked on saliva. "Are ya nuts?! Not only is it during the day, so ya can't go, but they will kill ya!"

Seto eyed him, eyes ice cold. "I am going through you, if you will let me. I want to take over your mind and see through your eyes."

Joey eyed Seto worriedly. "Are ya gonna do something weird ta me?"

Seto scowled. "No, Mutt. I just want to go, give condolences on my own."

Joey studied Seto for awhile, then sighed. "Okay, jes' tell me what ta do."

Seto lifted Joey's chin, kissing him gently. "Thank you."

Joey smiled, flushing. "Sure...not a problem."

"C'mon puppy..." Seto got a mischevious glint in his eye, "I wanna play..." he pulled Joey to him, working down his neck, nipping lightly.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Allea opened her eyes. She smiled up at Red. "Hey. How long was I out for?" She rubbed her forehead.

"Not long enough. You need sleep. Sleep more." He put his hand over her eyes.

She giggled, pulling his hand down. "Nope, I am awake. I'm gonna go get a shower." Smiling she got up, heading to the bathroom.

Stripping down, she turned on the water. Stepping in the warm waterfall, she smiled, closing her eyes and wetting her hair. Suddenly, she smiled bigger when she felt a kiss on her shoulder. "Joining me?" she asked, eyes still closed.

########################

"Mmmm." Turning around, Allea smiled up at Red. The water was running down his chest in rivulets. Smiling, she started kissing his chest. Reaching down, he cupped her butt, pulling her closer to him. Running her hand down, she gently ran her fingers over his shaft, smiling as he hardened at her touch

"This water is getting in the way." she smiled up at him. He picked her up, walking out of the shower. Going back into the bedroom, he laid her on the bed. His eyes hungrily took in her wet form, breasts glistening, nipples perked up, eager for attention.

"Red...don't make me wait." She reached out for him. Leaning down, he hungrily took a nipple in his mouth, using his fingers to play with the other one.

Moaning, Allea arched her back. Putting her hands in his hair, she tried to pull him up. He just smirked and switched nipples, licking and sucking on the other so it was not neglected.

"Red, I want you." She urged him up. Crawling up, predatorily, he smiled down at her. Gripping her ankles, he spread them apart and put them on his shoulders. "Ready?" His voice was gruff with need.

"Yes, please." She arched towards him. His shaft was erect, drops on the head, wanting entrance. Thrusting into her, he let out a guttural moan as she screamed his name. "Oh, please, Red...harder, deeper." He smirked, thrusting and pounding, watching her, waiting to take her over the edge.

Sweat made her hair cling to her face as her eyes were closed, mouth slightly open in pleasure. "Oh, god, you fill me up so good, baby...you're a perfect fit." As she shoved against him harder, faster, she gripped his arms as his hands clung to her shoulders.

Finally, he felt her tighten and squeeze his member as she let out a loud scream. With a couple more thrusts, he emptied his seed into her, collapsing down next to her afterwards. "Oh, god, you are amazing." Rolling over, she put her head on his chest, a hand in the center, playing with the small patch of hair there. He chuckled, pulling her close.

"We'll have to get another shower." she mumbled sleepily. He smiled pulling her closer.

##################

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Ravyn looked around. She had been laying on the bed for awhile, but no one came back in. Quickly she sat up, looking around. Grabbing a robe, she slipped it on. Opening the door a crack, she looked out and didn't see she ran out the back entrance and ran until she got to the woods. She felt compelled to go there. She didn't know why.

Suddenly she skidded to a stop at seeing the small blonde pigtailed girl. The girl walked up to her...Rebecca...that was her name. Smiling a sinister smile, Rebecca stated, "You are going to help with the next part of my plan, aren't you?"

"W..what plan?" Ravyn asked, confused.

"Why the plan to ultimately get Yugi to come to me. Of course." Rebecca sneered.

"Why would I do that?" Ravyn started backing away.

"Because..." Rebecca's mouth twisted into a cruel smile, "if you don't, I will awaken Serenity's soul that is inside you that I put asleep, and let you drown in madness."

Fear seized Ravyn's heart in its icy grip. "B...but how? Yugi would never willingly come to you Rebecca. He loves Yami."

"Oh, I feel he will come to me if it comes down to him coming to me or killing Yami. But I still have a few more things to do before then. And I need a necromancer for those things."

"W..what? He would never kill Yami." Ravyn was looking at Rebecca like she had gone truly insane.

"Exactly. So he will have to come to me because he will never be able to defeat me. The other part of my soul is embedded in Yami."


	3. Soul Chaos

Chapter 1: Histories

Yami opened one eye to see amethyst staring at him. He chuckled, the baritone vibrating the cherubic figure next to him slightly. "Yugi, I feel like you are a stalker."

Yugi smiled. Sitting up, leaning down to kiss Yami, he sat back up, looking at his vampire lover. "Nope, not a stalker. But determined. So, tell me about Ji-Jin."

Yami closed his eyes. "It was a long time ago, Aibou. Seto and I were out one night walking. I heard someone crying and smelled a great deal of blood. Of course, I went to check. As Master of the City, I needed to know what was going on."

Yami grimaced. "I wish I could unsee what I saw."

Yugi leaned up, kissing Yami's face. Yami smiled sadly, continuing. "There was a small boy, no more than 2 years old. He was holding his mother's lifeless body.

Blood was flowing from a gaping wound in her neck. A man was standing there, a machete in his hand. He was advancing on the boy. The boy looked up and said 'Why, Dada?'"

Yami swallowed thickly. "Normally, human affairs are none of my business. They have their police and lawyers and courts to handle these things. However, there was _something_ about this boy. I couldn't leave him to die at the hands of one of the two people he was supposed to trust; one of the two people who were supposed to protect him. So I jumped in, silently, behind the man, and killed him. I drained him completely, so he could not come back."

Sighing, he shook his head. "Then I made one of the biggest mistakes of my unlife. Like I'd said before, humans have their own ways and systems for taking care of their issues. So, I took the boy and placed him on the steps of an orphanage."

Eyes seeing some old scene, he continued after a few moments. "I kept thinking about the boy occassionally. For some reason he would not leave my mind. One night, I was walking and I heard crying again. That same crying. Without thought, I ran. Laying in the alley, covered in filth and blood, was the boy. He was about 4 years older, but it was the same boy. I felt horribly ashamed at what had become of him. I picked him up, brought him back here, and raised him as my own since."

"I did not know how to raise a child, but I figured it out. As he got older, I noticed he was adept at spying and the ways of the assassins, so I had him trained in such. He became very good, becoming legendary in their ranks. He formed a branch devoted to me."

A tear slipped down Yami's cheek. Yugi leaned up, pulling him into a hug. Smiling, Yugi looked at Yami. "Why, Yami, you have to be the oldest father in existence." Yugi then started giggling.

Yami glared at Yugi. "Are you insinuating, Aibou, that I am old?"

Yugi laughed more, happy to have pulled Yami from the despair he obviously felt. "Yep! And decreipt!"

Yami smiled a predatory smile. "I will show you who is decreipt..."

Yugi jumped up as Yami slowly stalked him. Yugi ran right, Yami feigned right, grabbing Yugi as he came back to his left with his superhuman speed.

"No fair." Yugi pouted. "You used vampire hocus pocus."

Yami smirked, baritone silky in the silent air. "Now that I have caught you, should I turn you over my knee for being insolent?"

Yugi shivered. Whispering, looking at Yami's crimson orbs, "I don't know if that is creepy or a turn on."

"Oh, Aibou," pulling close, nose to nose, Yami whispered "I can make it such a turn on."

Amethyst widened and darkened in lust. "Yami..."

 _Knock,_ _knock_ _knock. Boss,_ _the_ _council_ _is_ _starting_ _to_ _arrive._

"Honda has the _worst_ timing...Damn..." Yami growled. "Everyone is starting to arrive."

Sighing, he sat Yugi down. "Later..." he promised.

Yugi shivered as he slipped on clothes, fixed his hair, and brushed his teeth while Yami did similarly. Looking in the mirror, staring at his reflection, he thought... _I_ _want_ _him,_ _I just_ _hope_ _I_ _am_ _ready._

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey stretched, smiling as he looked over at Seto. Damn he was fine. Especially like he was now, reading in just slacks. No shirt, no shoes, ohhhh yea, Joey would service him.

Smirking, he got up. "Whatcha readin'?" Seto looked at Joey from under his bangs. Knock, knock.

"Enter." Seto commanded. Allistair walked in, holding a... _baby_? Seto's eyebrow raised.

"Uhhh..." Allistair looked very, very, uncomfortable.

"Speak." Seto directed.

"Uh, okay...a woman came to the club, depositing this baby in my arms with this note and told me to give the note to no one but Joey Wheeler of the Domino Prowl." He handed a wrinkled piece of paper to Joey.

Exchanging glances with Seto, Joey cautiously took it, unfolding it and reading it:

 _Dear Joey,_ _I_ _hope_ _this_ _letter_ _finds_ _you_ _well._ _However,_ _if this_ _letter finds_ _you, it_ _means_ _I_ _have_ _died._ _I_ _wrote_ _this_ _before_ _giving_ _birth_ _on_ _the_ _chance that_ _I_ _might_ _die_ _giving_ _or_ _immediately_ _after_ _birth._

 _I_ _had_ _never_ _thought_ _to_ _talk to_ _you again._ _We_ _both_ _were_ _pretty_ _happy to_ _go_ _our_ _separate_ _ways._ _About_ _a_ _month_ _after_ _we_ _split,_ _I_ _found_ _out_ _I_ _was_ _pregnant._ _I_ _was_ _determined_ _to_ _raise_ _the_ _baby_ _on_ _my_ _own_ _and_ _not_ _ask_ _for_ _help_ _from_ _you...I_ _didn't want_ _to_ _burden_ _you_ _nor_ _have_ _our_ _child_ _grow_ _up in_ _the_ _prowl._

 _Several_ _people_ _tried_ _to_ _get_ _me_ _to_ _abort_ _the_ _baby._ _They_ _told_ _me_ _the_ _chances_ _of_ _having_ _a were_ _baby and_ _surviving_ _since_ _I_ _was_ _human_ _were_ _about_ _3%._ _I_ _wouldn't_ _listen._ _This_ _sweet_ _baby deserved_ _to_ _live. It's_ _not_ _her_ _fault_ _that_ _her_ _dad_ _has_ _super_ _condom_ _defying_ _sperm._ _Obviously, I_ _did_ _not_ _listen._

 _This baby_ _is yours_ _Joey._ _I_ _was_ _never_ _with_ _anyone_ _else,_ _she_ _has_ _the mark_ _of the_ _prowl,_ _and_ _her_ _birth is_ _what_ _killed_ _me._ _Please,_ _take_ _care_ _of_ _her,_ _protect_ _her,_ _and_ _love_ _her._ _You_ _and_ _your_ _prowl_ _will be_ _the_ _only_ _ones_ _to_ _fully_ _understand_ _her._ _I_ _didn't_ _name_ _her, I_ _left_ _that_ _to_ _you._

 _Love,_ _Sarah_

Joey sat, stunned. Seto grabbed the letter, reading it. Eyes widened, then narrowed. "What is this mark of the prowl she speaks of?"

Joey woodenly moved to the baby, looking at her head. There, on the le side of her head, among the downy hairs, were three lines in dark red...it looked like a cat scratch. Joey looked to Seto and pointed. Then, raising his hair above his le ear, he showed three red lines, in the pattern of a cat scratch.

Chapter 2: Friends and Strangers

Seto blinked.

Allistair handed the sleeping baby to Joey and quickly left. Joey looked at Seto. Seto blinked.

Joey smoothed the baby's hair, looking at the sweet sleeping face. Big honey eyes opened, staring up at Joey. Letting out a big yawn, the baby closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.

Seto blinked.

"So, uh...what should we name her?" Joey asked, looking uncertainly at Seto. Seto blinked, turned, and walked out of the room.

Anger flared in Joey's eyes. Walking out, quietly, he grabbed Seto's elbow with his free hand. "What da hell is goin' on? It's not like I cheated on ya...I din't even know you when I was wit' Sarah!"

Seto glared at Joey. "I never said you did." Voice ice cold. Turning, he walked off. Growling in anger, Joey followed Seto to the meeting, cradling the baby in his arms.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami greeted the visitors, Yugi by his side doing the same. It had already passed through every grapevine in existence that Yami & Yugi were a "thing". Since Yami had never had a "thing" in 3,000 years, everyone knew this was serious and everyone knew that to disrespect Yugi was to disrespect Yami. No one wanted to disrespect Yami. He was pleasant, he was loyal, he was fair, but he was the Master of Domino. He took the safety of the beings in his care very seriously. He took the safety of those he considered family personal.

Yugi marveled at all of the people he had met and come to care about in such a short time. Kurasha and Aeon walked in. Aeon ran up and hugged Yami. Yami chuckled, patting her back. "Good to see you again, you two." Kurasha went and sat down in a chair, Aeon on her lap, giggling and talking. Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura walked in. Naruto shook Yami's hand, then embraced him in a hug. Yami nodded to Hinata and Sakura, smiling, getting nods and smiles in return. Sasuke just looked annoyed. Moving to a couch in the corner, the quartet sat.

Then, of course, the prowl was there, huddled in a heap in the corner, close to Yugi. Malik and Marik walked in. Yugi wasn't sure what to do with those two yet, but both seemed to be adjusting well and keeping to themselves, keeping quiet...maybe too quiet. Yugi sighed, he'll have to check on that later. Luckily, being the Alpha of wereleopards was an easier job than the Alpha of werewolves. Wereleopards tended to stay to themselves...werewolves tended to be needy.

Then there was Ryou. Yugi smiled at Ryou as he came in, Akeifa with him. _Wait,_ _something_ _is_ _wrong...Ryou_ _looks_ _agitated...and...is_ _that_ _a_ _rooster_ _in_ _his_ _arms..?_ _What_ _the..._ Walking up to Ryou, he put a hand on his shoulder. "Ryou, are you okay?"

"Fuck no he's not okay...he fucking lost zombie girl." Akeifa huffed. He hated meetings. He especially hated meeting with these fucking twats. Uptight assholes. The whole lot of them. He stomped off to a corner, sulking at having to be here instead of trying to figure out how to bed Ryou. Ryou _has_ to be good in bed...besides, who gives a flying fuck about saving a city that wants to see him hanged, for fuck's sake?

Ryou glared at Akeifa as Yami appeared, instantly, at Yugi's side. "Where is Ravyn?" Yami asked, concern in his voice.

"I don't know!" Ryou cried in exasperation as the rooster escaped Ryou's grasp and ran around the room, happy for his freedom. "I was going to get a few things for a ritual..."

Seto walked in, raising an eyebrow. "Since when do you sacrifice poultry for a ritual?"

The rooster ran by as some of the prowl decided to give chase. "I wasn't going to sacrifice a rooster! I had to have 3 feathers picked within 5 minutes of the ritual, so I figured that I would take the rooster in there..." Cheeks blushed crimson as he heard Akeifa's voice...

"Bloody fucking genius! Pussies chasing a cock! I love this!"

Ryou rolled his eyes. Reaching out, Yami caught the rooster. Honda appeared at the door. "Honda, please take this rooster out of here." Honda nodded, coming over and grabbing the rooster.

"Boss, just wanted to let you know that Mai and Valon will be here in about an hour, but they said to go ahead and start, they can catch up." Yami nodded as Honda left.

Yugi looked up. Just as he was about to try to calm everyone down, Joey walked in carrying a ... _baby?_

Joey caught Yugi's eye. _Sarah_ _had_ _a_ _baby_ _after we_ _split._ _It's_ _mine._ _It_ _has_ _the prowl_ _mark_ _on_ _her._

Yugi's eyes went huge. _How is_ _Seto_ _taking this?_

Joey's eyes narrowed. _Like_ _the_ _cold_ _bastard_ _would_ _take_ _it._ _Acting_ _like_ _the_ _baby_ _is_ _the_ _plague!_ About then Mokuba walked up. "Aww, how cute!" Joey smiled at the baby and Mokuba, cradling her protectively.

Just then, Red and Allea walked in with Ji-Jin. Ji-Jin stopped, taking a spot by the door, alert. Allea walked over to an empty chair. Motioning for Red to sit down, he

wouldn't. Having a silent argument, Allea finally relented and sat down, Red standing behind her.

Looking around, Yami nodded. Moving to the front of the room, everyone quieted down. Yami smiled. "Thank you all for coming so quickly. I apologize for the quick return of some of you..." he looked to the ninjas..."but we have found out some important information about Malestrom. I will let Allea explain." He motioned her up to the front.

Her pale blue robes seemed to darken her eyes. Looking out on the assembly of people, she cleared her throat. "Hello everyone, my name is Allea. My mate is Red." She motioned to the large man, who just looked out on the sea of faces. "Let me just jump right in. I used to be an angel. In challenging the Angelic Order, my wings were snipped and I was cast out of the heavens. So, I do know about angels and demons." Turning, she slipped down the back of her robes, showing two long vertical gouge marks of mangled flesh. Yugi and Joey suddenly felt ashamed of not believing her. The floor became very interesting to both.

Allea continued. "Chaos demons are not necessarily evil entities. These demons derive from the Greek word daemon-D-A-E-M-O-N-which means a supernatural being somewhere between human and god status. Demons can be good or evil, and each have a specific power that is gifted to them. Chaos demons don't follow Satan nor do his bidding. The hierarchy is a High Demon who is the leader, and then that High Demon has followers. The High Demon is the one who determines if their clan is good or evil. Maelstrom is the highest of the High Demons, and she had only the most powerful in her control. My Red's gift is strength, and he WAS her right hand demon. However, he broke away and left her to save me from an attack on the heavens. After the attack failed, Maelstrom lost all her followers and has been questing for revenge and power."

"Maelstrom is after Yugi. It has been foretold that a fey, spellcasting wereleopard would be her downfall or the key to her success. If she can sway or control him, she will, quite literally, rule the world because of his power. She gains power from chaos. Her gift is the ability to split her soul in two. That way it is harder for her to die. Both the host body she is in, along with the body she hid the other part of her soul in has to die before she jumps to another host body. She can jump host bodies by touch.

The host body's soul is either killed or trapped in Exodia, if she has that dagger. We have determined that she is using Rebecca's body. We have also determined that she knows that we know who she is, so she is more dangerous now, and may very well change bodies. So, we need to be looking for Rebecca...or Rebecca's body."

Allea looked at Yami. who nodded. She turned and went, sitting down. Yami stood in front of the group. "Rebecca could be anywhere. I will be sending out groups to find her, along with my intelligence agents. I would ask if you all would do the same."

A chorus of voices started speaking and for the next several hours, discussions were had about the best way to try to find her, how to track her, and where her host body might be. Valon came in about an hour after starting. Yami raised an eyebrow after Valon apologized, but sent him to Allea so she could re-explain. Finally, as daylight was ready to break, the groups broke to sleep. Yugi noticed it was a trend that was

becoming way too common. As the tri colored doppelgangers headed to bed, Yugi looked at Yami. "Will we ever defeat her?" Amethyst eyes looked sad.

Crimson stared at amethyst. "We will, Aibou Search. One day we will."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Stalking around the city angrily, Maelstrom was trying to think. Jumping bodies took a lot out of her, no matter what those stupid angels thought. She had to be careful about who to jump to. It needed to be someone who could help her get information and put more chaos in motion. Walking through the crowded streets, she saw someone and suddenly smiled.

Perfect...this woman would be perfect. She decided to follow the woman for awhile, watching her, listening to her, just to make sure. After about an hour, Maelstrom made up her mind. This woman was perfect. Walking up to the woman in the restroom, she smiled, tapping the lady's shoulder as she reapplied her lipstick. "Hey, I know you..." As the woman turned around, Rebecca's lifeless form fell to the ground. Blond hair swirling, the taller woman walked out of the club, putting the lipstick back in her purse. After walking out, she snapped her fingers, and the building went up in flames. She quickly sprinted a couple miles away, to the meeting place she heard the woman say over the phone.

"Mai! Mai! Are you okay?" The brown haired man ran up to her about five minutes after she arrived. Turning to him, she smiled.

"Sure, Valon...why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, ya said ya had to check on a couple things in your city...are they okay? Are you ready to go to the meeting?"

Looking at him, she sighed. "I really can't tonight...I have to take care of an issue in my city. I just came to meet you so I could tell you in person, since my cell phone was dead. Maybe you could go and let me know what happens?" She blinked big blue eyes at him.

Valon sighed. "Sure, sure...let me go endure Yami's wrath. Fine...but you owe me." He waggled his eyebrows, pulling her into a kiss. "Tomorrow night, Love?"

"Definitely. And Valon...thanks." Kissing him again, she vanished in the night. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to get information and stay away from Allea after all. Hell, as a vampire, she could probably get rid of Allea and get Red back too. Things were starting to look up.

Chapter 3: Moving Forward

Seto walked into the bedroom, shutting the door. Sighing, he walked over, sitting down on the bed, head in his hands. _What_ _the_ _hell_ _am_ _I_ _going_ _to_ _do?_

He didn't move as he heard the door open and close.

"Look, I know ya din't tink we'd have a baby. But tings change and now I have a lil girl. So...you have to take me and her, or I will hafta leave." Joey sounded weary, but determined.

Seto looked up, saying nothing.

The pain in Joey's eyes was damning. Putting on a determined face, he nodded. "Right. Well, then...I am gonna go. You don' hafta worry about the fusion...it won't affect you." Seto felt Joey slam their connection shut like an iron door.

 _What_ _the_ _hell_ _am_ _I_ _going_ _to_ _do?_

Joey opened the door.

Seto's chest felt empty. A gnawing hole.

Joey paused just a moment, then stepped out, shutting the door.

Seto gripped his chest, but still didn't move. _What_ _the_ _hell_ _am_ _I_ _going_ _to_ _do?_

Turns out, doing nothing is still doing something.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Ravyn walked into the club. She really, really didn't want to do this, but she couldn't go insane. Those few moments with someone else in her head were a hellacious torture. Walking around, she finally found Ryou. His eyes grew wide.

"Ravyn! Where have you been? Are you well? What happened?" Ryou's chocolate eyes shone with concern.

"I...I am okay. I woke up, a bit disoriented, and walked out. I'm better now. I am sorry for any worry that I caused." Ravyn looked at the floor.

"No...no, we are just happy you are okay. Please, come to the infirmary." He led Ravyn without resistance to the infirmary. Laying in the bed, she shut her eyes tight. _What_ _the_ _hell_ _am_ _I_ _going_ _to_ _do?_

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"So, Aibou, I have a proposition." Yami closed the door with a click.

"Yes, _no_ _mei_ _hito_?" An eyebrow raised as amethyst stared expectantly at crimson.

"I think you should move the prowl here. There is safety in numbers. We have plenty of rooms. Maelstrom is infinitely more dangerous now because she knows we are on to her. They will not be prisoners here, but it will be safer."

Yugi sat, thinking. Looking up, Yugi finally nodded. "I am not going to get rid of the house, but I will move them here for now. After we destroy Maelstrom, we can revisit the living arrangements."

Yami smiled tenderly at Yugi. "Thank you, Aibou. Your safety is the most important thing to me. And I know part of your safety is the prowl's safety. I cannot lose you, Aibou. If I ever lose you, I will have lost myself." Tenderly, he kissed Yugi. "I'm going to go shower."

Watching Yami leave, Yugi started stripping and smiled. "We will defeat Maelstrom. You will never lose me again." Crawling under the amethyst sheets, he smiled, eyes slipping closed.

Knock, knock, knock. Yugi sighed, heavy eyes opening as he got out of the bed, pulling on a robe. Yami was still in the shower. Opening the door, he smiled as he saw it was Joey.

"Hey, Joey! What's up?"

Joey's sad honey eyes looked at Yugi. "I gotta go back to da prowl house. Seto an I are done. He don't like da baby."

Yugi frowned. "Joey, you have to give him time. Springing a baby on anyone is stressful, especially Ice King." Joey started to protest, but Yugi cut him off. "Besides, you can't. I am moving the prowl here for protection. You and the baby will be safer here...and I need my Enforcer."

Joey sighed, shoulders slumping. Yami walked out in a robe about then. "Joey! I did not get to say congratulations before. She is beautiful." Baritone rang through the air.

Tortured eyes turned to Yami. "Tanks. Do ya have an extra room for me an da baby?"

Yami smiled sadly, quickly surmising the reason. "Yes, please follow me. What is the baby's name?"

"Joto." Joey smiled down at the baby, kissing her head.

Yami ushered Joey to a room. "Beautiful. Joto means a japanese sword that can be concealed as a stick.

Something potent concealed as something inocuous."

Joey smiled at the baby. "Yea. I thought it was beautiful." Joto started to fuss in her sleep. "I had someone go out to get some diapers, and a few basics." Yami noticed

Joey set down a cobalt blue diaper bag with little white dragons on it that he hadn't noticed before.

Smiling, Yami walked out. As he was closing the door, he said, "It's also a beautiful merging of Joey and Seto." Joey looked up, wide eyed, as the door closed, a tear slipping down his cheek.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"We will protect all the entrances. I want someone going out and tracking Rebecca down. If she jumped bodies, I want to know. We cannot make a mistake." Ji-Jin looked to the assassins in front of him. "I have chosen you as you are the best. Get going." The group disbanded quietly and quickly.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Kisara put the scissors down. The cut was jagged, but efficient for the disguise. Putting on the gloves, she applied the chestnut coloring to her pixie haircut. Walking in behind her, Ciacto smiled. "Perfect." He handed her a small box. "Brown contacts." Her gaze met his in the mirror and she nodded, mouth set in a determined line.

Chapter 4: The Mayor

The next days seemed to pass in stagnant speed. Everyone was looking for Rebecca. No one had any information. Joey avoided Seto. Seto stomped around being his general ass to everyone. That wasn't unusual, but it was getting annoying.

Yugi looked at Yami. He was putting the finishing touches on his suit, fixing the black tie over his white silk dress shirt. Yugi couldnt help but be nervous. Yami was literally walking into a spider web. This reeked of the possibility of political ramifications.

Yami turned, smiling at Yugi. "I will be fine, Aibou." Gnawing on his lip, Yugi did not share Yami's optimism. Standing up, Yami captured Yugi's lips in his. "I will see you in a bit, Aibou."

As Yami walked out, Yugi watched him leave. He balled his hands into fists to keep from grabbing Yami. He did _not_ want Yami to go. As the door clicked shut, Yugi looked at his hands, uncurling his fingers, looking at the little crescent shaped blood marks on his palms from his nails. "Please be careful _no_ _mei_ _hito_."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Seto tapped his foot. _Where_ _was_ _Yami?_ It was just like Yami, being late. Seto's cold cobalt eyes took in the scene. His head turned to the side as he heard Yami walk up by him. "About time."

Yami raised an eyebrow. "I am two minutes early."

"Whatever. Let's go." He walked out, not looking back. Yami shook his head but followed Seto.

Both figures climbed into the limo. On the ride over to the Mayor's mansion, it was silent. Yami sighed. Looking at Seto, he could already see the strain Joey's absence was taking. Seto had no light in his eyes. They were hard and cold. His pale skin was more pale than usual. He went through daily motions, he fed...he survived.

 _Damn_ _it Seto,_ _when_ _will_ _you_ _learn?_ Yami hoped it was before it was too late.

Very soon the car stopped and the door was opened. Both vampires got out and walked to the entrance. Ringing the doorbell, they waited. An older man in a formal butler suit appeared. "Gentlmen, this way."

Yami followed the butler, followed by Seto. Both men were ushered into a study with a lot of wooden chairs, furniture, and ornate paintings. Too much wood... Over the beautiful stone fireplace was a portrait of an older male and female, a middle aged male and female, and the male Seto killed. _Great,_ _the_ _Mayor's_ _family._ _Damnit,_ _I_ _hope_ _Seto_ _did_ _not_ _extinguish_ _their_ _bloodline._

A chair spun around slowly, revealing an older male, thin, tall, with short brown hair cut in a busines man cut, piercing hazel eyes, and an immaculate suit. _How cliché,_ _just like_ _Hollywood._ _Yami_ _probably_ _hates_ _it._ Even with that remark, Seto could dig up no emotion, not even a smirk. It was as if he were dead inside.

"Gentlmen." The man stood, holding out a hand to shake. Yami took his hand, shaking it. Seto begrudgingly did so. "Please, be seated."

Yami sat, as did Seto. "Now, I have no desire to waste any time. You are here because my grandson, the last of my bloodline, died in your club. You are co- owners, so you both are here. The death was by ...suspicious...means. So, you are here to negotiate." The Mayor folded his hands behind his back, looking for confirmation.

Seto took an intake of breath, eyes widening slightly as he looked out of the corner of his eye at Yami. Yami hadn't told how the boy died. He had kept Seto's secret, ensuring Seto's safety.

Yami nodded. "Yes. I want to negotiate an appropriate recompense. We are truly sorry for your loss." His baritone voice rang with sincerity.

"Well, then, let the negotiations begin." The Mayor sat back down.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi walked out, looking for Joey. All of a sudden, he saw Ji-Jin. "Yugi, I have been looking for you and Yami. I needed to speak to you about some things we are figuring out about Maelstrom. I believe we are closer than ever before."

Yugi perked up. "Sure! Yami is meeting with the mayor, but I can come. Lead the way." He followed Ji-Jin to Yami's office. He would find Joey later and see how he and Jo were doing.

Once inside the office, Ji-Jin led Yugi over to the desk, were a great deal of papers were laid out. "Have a look at these and then I will explain what we have found so far." Yugi nodded eagerly, climbing in Yami's chair and starting to study the documents.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"What were you wanting?" Yami stated.

"Well, actually..." he looked over Yami's shoulder, nodded slightly, then smiled at Yami. "Blood for blood."

Yami stared at the Mayor. "Excuse me?"

"It is really quite simple. Either you come to me, twice a week, and let me have...fun...with you and collect some of your blood, only a vial at a time,...or..." nodding, the butler turned on a television on a stand to the left of the mayor. Turning the tv on, Yami and Seto could see Ji-Jin and Yugi in the office. "he dies."

Seto was watching carefully. Yami's eyes bled a deeper crimson. "Ji-Jin is the best assassin. No one you sent could touch him or Yugi." His voice deepened, anger creeping in.

Smiling, the mayor leaned over the desk. "You are right, Ji-Jin is the best assassin. Yugi doesn't stand a chance against him once he slips the silver wrist dagger in the base of Yugi's skull."

Looking directly at the camera, Ji-Jin put a fist behind Yugi's neck, a silver blade peeking out from between his pointer and middle finger while Yugi eagerly studied some papers on Yami's desk, oblivious.

Chapter 5: Unwilling AgreementTorture triggershere. Don'tlike orare sensitive, don't read.

Yami stared, not blinking at the images on the screen. Yugi sat, unaware of the danger behind his head. "Hey Ji-Jin, this info is really helpful. Yami will be so happy!" Yugi turned his head to look at Ji-Jin, and the fist was gone. He hugged Ji-Jin. "Thank you for helping to keep Yami and all of us safe." Click. The screen went black.

Yami couldn't swallow. He couldn't move. He refused to let the betrayal affect him. He would deal with that later. He had to protect Yugi. He looked at the Mayor.

"That is unacceptable. If you need to torture anyone, I would suggest me. I was on duty that night." Seto stated coldly. Yami looked out of the side of his eye at Seto.

"Sorry. This arrangement is with Yami. I know you are cousins, but this is not interchangeable." Hazel eyes held crimson, voice firm.

"Go home Seto." Standing, he looked hard at the Mayor. "We have a deal." "Good. We will start tonight. James, please see Mr. Kaiba out." The Mayor stood.

"Mr. Sennen, if you will follow me." Seto stood and turned, leaving reluctantly behind

James.

Yami followed the Mayor silently. Behind a staircase, down, down, down into a dungeon underneath the ground, Yami followed the Mayor, neither saying anything. Walking into that room, Yami swallowed hard.

"Mr. Sennen, strip." Standing, staring, the Mayor crossed his arms. Never losing eye contact, Yami took off his clothing. The Mayor motioned to a table. Yami crawled on it.

"Lay on your back."

Yami laid down, staring at the ceiling. The Mayor walked up, securing Yami to the table in a four pointed star position. Going to a table, he picked up a large, slim sword. Coming over to Yami, he stood at Yami's feet. Taking the sword, he sliced a razor thin slice from the inside of his right thigh to his ankle. Blood pooled and dripped into a small channel cut into the table. The blood slowly ran down into a small silver chalice. Yami bit his lip to keep from making any noise at the stinging, burning pain of the silver blade in his leg, refusing to look at the Mayor.

Still silent, the Mayor laid the sword down, and picked up a small, wickedly sharp claw shaped blade. Running the tip down from Yami's chest, he stopped at Yami's abdomen. Moving just to the right of Yami's navel, the Mayor sunk the blade in and started savagely tugging the blade across Yami's abdomen, intestines spilling out of the jagged cut. A scream tore loose from Yami's throat, as a tear slid down his cheek.

The blood dripped into rivulets that flowed into channels, which emptied into the chalice. Seeing that the chalice was full, the Mayor stopped.

"Thank you for your cooperation Mr. Sennen. Make sure you are back in two days, at midnight, if you value Mr. Motou's life. By the way, my name is George. After you are dressed, James will see that you get home." George turned and left with the chalice.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Seto came into the club and went straight to Yami's office. It was empty. Turning, he stomped out and almost ran into Honda. "Where is Yugi?"

Honda shrugged. "Last time I saw him he was with Ji-Jin and Joey."

Seto sweat dropped. He spun and walked to the room he knew was Joey's. He banged on the door. A baby's cry was his response. The door opened, Joey standing there in boxers. "Wha' da hell?" Seeing it was Seto, he looked down. "What do ya want?" he asked quietly.

It felt like he had been punched in the chest. That dirty blond hair, those honey eyes. It took all Seto had not to reach out and grab Joey. Roughly, Seto asked "Where is Yugi and Ji-Jin?"

Joey swallowed thickly. "I dunno." He went and picked up the baby girl, rocking her. Seto noted a cobalt blue bag with little white dragons on it that Joey was digging in. "Shhh, Joto, shhh..." he kissed her head, rocking her, putting a pacifier in her mouth.

Seto stared at that picture of Joey holding the baby. He wanted...he wanted to find Yugi. Seto closed the door and walked off. Heart heavy, he went to find Yugi.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Red stomped around, agitated. Allea was looking over some paperwork. "Red, please sit down."

Red looked at Allea. "Something is wrong. I can feel it. A betrayal has occurred." Allea looked up, eyes wide. "Who?" she whispered.

"I don't know...but it is major...I can feel the evilness." Red went over and checked his sword, unsheathing and resheathing it.

Allea looked at Red, eyes sad. "Would you like me to try to see what is going on?"

"No. It drains you too much. Save it for something important." Red's tone left no room for argument. Allea sighed, eyes filled with worry.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami walked slowly into the club, the blood making the cloth stick to his wounds. George knew what he was doing...he used silver so it could not heal immediately, and so it would hurt more. Yami winced as he held his abdomen. He needed to feed to help heal, but he didn't know on who. If he used Honda, Yugi would be mad. If he used Yugi, Yugi would flip out seeing the wounds.

Sighing, he sat down, trying to think. His cell phone rang. Looking, he saw it was Mai. He opened the phone. "Mai, we missed you. How are you; is everything okay in your city?"

"Well, sure, hon I'm fine...but I got some news. I don't know if it's good or bad though." Mai's familiar voice was welcome in Yami's ears.

"What is it Mai?"

"Well, one of my clubs burnt down...arson. In running dental records of the victims, Rebecca's dead body was found."

Chapter 6: Protection

Yami closed his eyes. "Shit. I don't know if this is good or bad. Thanks, Mai. Keep a watch out for anything odd in your city, okay?"

"Sure, hon. Hey...are you feelin' okay? You don't sound so hot."

Yami laughed a humorless laugh. "I feel great. I am just tired from making new friends."

"Okay, if you say so. Talk to you later, Yami." Mai ended the call.

Yami closed his phone. Gingerly standing, his knees crumpled underneath him. He saw Ravyn in his peripheral vision. "Ravyn, get Yami...now." Ravyn ran off. The images in front of Yami's eyes blurred in and out of focus. He saw legs, feet, heard voices, but could not place any of them until...

"Yami? What's wrong, oh my god!" That sweet voice...he could just drown in that sweet voice. He smiled, eyes sliding closed. His Aibou found him. Why was it so cold? Wasn't he inside? Suddenly he felt warmth on his mouth, smelled that sweet, acrid smell, and tasted some of that elixir on his lips. His Yugi...his sweet Yugi...lapping and sucking at the life essence, he felt his abdomen healing, his back healing...he could feel Yugi's arms around him.

"Aibou." he whispered, eyes opening, seeing those beautiful amethyst staring down at him.

"Yugi, please...get Seto, Joey, and the Ninjas to my room. I must speak to them immediately."

Yugi nodded reluctantly. Handing Yami gently to Honda, he looked at him. "Get him changed and comfortable, we will be to his room within 10 minutes." Honda nodded and carried Yami like he was a baby to his room...which had finished being refurnished completely while he was out.

"Thank you, Honda." Honda nodded. Heading to the closet, he pulled out some soft silk pajamas and brought them over. As Yami struggled to put them on, _damn_ _silver,_ _forgot_ _how_ _it_ _takes_ _me_ _longer_ _to_ _heal_ , Honda tenderly helped him. As Yami looked up, he recognized those eyes.

"Dear Honda. I am so sorry." Honda smiled sadly at him.

"I've known. I've always known. It didn't stop me from falling in love with you. It hasn't kept me from staying in love with you. But it will keep me from acting on it, for I want you happy and whole. And only Yugi can fill that hole in your heart." Honda gently leaned over, kissing Yami's head. He stood and walked to the door. "I'm going and getting you hot chocolate. I know you enjoy human food at times, and I feel chocolate will help right now."

Opening the door, he stepped out as Yugi, Joey, Joto and the ninjas walked in. Yami sighed, eyes following Honda sadly. Yugi walked over and crawled on the bed, leaning Yami back against him. "And..."

Just then, Seto walked in. Seto looked to Yami. "Are you ..." Yami simply nodded, and Seto sighed slightly.

"What's going on? Are you sick?" Naruto asked, looking worriedly at Yami.

Sakura popped Naruto upside the head. "You idiot! Yami isn't sick, he's a vampire. He may be hurt, but vampires can't get sick! He can be weakened by garlic or injured by silver, but he can't get sick."

Yami smiled at them. "Sakura is right. I am not sick, but I am injured and healing. Can any of you search this room for bugs or surveillance equipment?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke questioningly. Sasuke nodded, his brown eyes glowing red with his sharingan activating. Quickly and quietly he made his way around the room, into the bathroom, and then coming back out he looked at Naruto, shaking his head no.

"There's nothing here, Yami. What's going on?" Naruto sat on the floor, Hinata sitting next to him. Sakura looked at Sasuke, who went to stand by the shut door as Sakura sat in a chair by the new, not destroyed bistro table.

"We have a spy. Ji-Jin has turned rogue." Yami's voice sounded tired. The only thing to be heard was the crackling of the fire.

Just then, the door started to open. Sasuke was instantly ready, kunai in hand. Honda walked in with a tray with a pot, some cups, a bowl with marshmallows, and some muffins on it. Sitting them down, oblivious to the danger behind the door, he smiled at everyone. "Just in case." He turned and walked out past a bored looking Sasuke who had his arms folded and was leaning on the wall. Honda closed the door as he went out.

"Awright!" Naruto and Joey said at the same time, diving for the food, Joto sleeping in a carrier on Joey. Sakura groaned and rolled her eyes. While those two busily stuffed themselves, and the rest who wanted some managed to grab some cocoa or a muffin while endangering their body parts, Yami smiled at Yugi. Yugi frowned at Yami. Once everything quieted down, Yami started again.

"In going to work out recompense for the death of the mayor's grandson, it came to be known to me and Seto that Ji-Jin is working for the mayor, not me, as he..." letting out a big sigh, he looked out at the group, carefully not looking at Yugi, "had a silver dagger at the base of Yugi's skull. He could have killed Yugi instantly, but the mayor wanted my...cooperation. He used Yugi as a way of ensuring my cooperation on the method of repayment. He wants my blood." Yugi's arms tightened around Yami.

Again, silence fell in the room. Even the two stomachs quit eating. Joey swallowed thickly, the food lodging in his throat. Naruto's mouth hung open slightly, a bit of food still being seen in his mouth. "Why?" Naruto asked the question on everyone's mind.

"I don't know, but I am sure it is not for a good purpose. But what I am most worried about now is how to stop Ji-Jin. He is the best assassin there is." Yami looked at the group worriedly.

It was silent for a few moments. Joey looked up and saw Seto. His chest felt like it was being ripped open. He just wanted to go and have Seto put his arms around ... No. Seto has no desire to be with Joey now that Joto is in the picture. Joey looked down at the sleeping baby girl, smoothing her hair again and kissing her head. He smiled. She smelled like baby powder. He loved that smell.

Unbeknownst to Joey, Seto was taking all of this scene in. Seto turned and walked out of the room.

Naruto looked at the other ninjas. "Do you think Yugito could do this?" Sakura and Hinata looked thoughtful. Hinata nodded. "I think so."

Naruto nodded. "Okay! Yami, we will be back with Yugito as soon as we can." The ninjas filed out. Joey looked at Yugi.

"I'ma let you all rest. Yug' da Prowl is all in here." Joey waved and headed out. Yugi looked at Yami. "Now, we need to talk."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey went back to the room. Changing the baby, making sure she was fed and burped, he held and rocked her. "Hey Joto, how you doin'? Babygirl, you so beautiful." She smiled, snuggling into his embrace. He kissed her forehead. Rocking her, he started singing softly.

After finishing the song, she sighed softly, sleeping. Joey looked at her, honey eyes full of love. "Hey, Joto, I gotta tell ya sumptin'. I been part of da prowl my whole life. My dad was Enforcer, so I was always gonna become the Enforcer too. Everybody liked me 'cause of my position. Only ones to love me were Serenity an' Yugi. Dad and Mom were too busy wit' Prowl business. But Yug', even though he became Alpha, he never neglected me. And I'll never neglect you...I may screw up, an' I'm sorry bout dat...but I never thought I'd be a dad, not after fusing wit' Seto. But I guess dat's over with. Heh, single parent for life. So, at least I got someone to love who will love me back. Even if ya don' always like me...I'll always love ya."

She cooed quietly in her sleep, Joey holding her close, crying silent tears. He never let them show, not in public. But...in private, his pain, his loneliness, his desperate longing for Seto consumed him sometimes. He just didn't understand **..** what was so wrong with him that Seto couldn't love him?

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Seto stormed out of Yami's bedroom. Stalking into the club, he looked at the silent room. turning he walked out of the club. There was at least another hour before dawn. He stomped down the side streets. Stopping, he looked to his left where he heard laughing.

"Alex, no...stop. That tickles!" Some young, stupid humans being young and stupid. They looked like they were in love. How stupid. Love made you weak...love gave you liabilities, love made you...Seto shook his head. He didn't have time to deal with this. If you stay out of relationships, you don't have to worry about anyone but yourself.

No one else to protect. Hell, he didn't even have to protect Mokuba since he was a vampire. That's why Seto turned him, so he wouldn't fail like he did with Kisara. Look how stupid he was with Kisara...failing to save her and then not even being able to stay in love with her because he finally found his soulma..

"No." Seto growled. Walking on, his feet carried him to a graveyard. He stared at the headstones. Dead people, forgotten by all those except loved ones. Those same loved ones who were unable to save the dead laying here now. Children even. In the end, Seto wouldn't be able to save Joey, nor Joto if something happened...Hell, _he_ was the monster that took people from their loved ones before...no one could protect them from _him..._

 _"No."_ Joey was better off without him.

Chapter 7: Confrontations

"Take off your clothes." Yugi commanded.

"Yugi, as much as I love you and am attracted to you, I am pretty tired right..."

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Yugi glared as he started taking off Yami's shirt. Letting out a gasp, he looked up at Yami. "What happened?" he whispered as he ran a finger over the scarred abdomen.

"It's not important...what is important is that you are safe. I would do anything to keep you that way." Yami stroked Yugi's face tenderly.

Jerking from the fingertip, Yugi's rage came full force. "Damnit Yami! I am not a cub! I am a full grown leopard, capable of taking care of myself and my mate...you can't keep hiding stuff from me!" His amethyst eyes were on fire with anger. "Besides that, in case you forgot, I am Alpha of the Domino Prowl. You don't attain that by sitting around reading books and looking pretty!" His body was trembling with rage.

"Yugi, I saw a blade to the base of your skull that even your superior healing abilities could not stop or fix. I had to protect you." Yami's eyes were pleading.

"Yea, well, who's going to protect you? There are a lot of people here who depend on you, not just me. You have to think of a bunch of peole, not just me. By bringing my prowl here, I am showing my trust in you that you will protect my family. I am not some weak little flower. I am a man, and I love you. But you cannot do this on your own. Do you understand?" Yugi's face was set in a determined line.

Yami sighed. He had never seen Yugi this...determined...not to him. Yami knew Yugi was serious. Yami also knew he was defeated. "I will...try. That is the best that I can promise right now. I love you, you are precious to me, so I want to protect you. It's not that I don't believe in you and your abilities; it's that I am scared to lose you. I don't want to lose you...I _can't_ lose you, not again. I am always the one to protect everyone." Gripping Yugi's face, he pulled him into a kiss, nibbling on Yugi's lip. Yugi pulled away, flushed.

"Fine...I will take you trying. But stop with the kissing already. I know you are trying to distract me." Yugi grumbled, laying down, a slight smile threatening to creep on his face.

"Yes, Aibou." Yami smiled, rolling on his right side to spoon Yugi as the two fell asleep.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey sat at the bar the next night. Sienna had just about begged to look after Jo. He had known Sienna since she was a cub...he had been at her birth. She was quiet, but devoted and loyal. That was something that seemed to be at a premium lately. He had reluctantly agreed.

So here he sat, drinking his fourth boilermaker. He hated his metabolism at times...he didn't even really feel the drinks.

"Hey there..." a redhead sat down next to him. Her dress really didn't leave much to the imagination. Joey smiled politely. "I've seen you in here a couple times...you're cute." She winked.

"Tanks, but I'm..."

"Don't tell me...taken or gay?" She pouted.

He saw Seto out of the corner of his eye. God, it hurt. Shaking his head, he looked at her. Seto didn't want him. Just caused he fused didn't mean he couldn't fuck, right?

Smirking, he motioned for two more drinks. "Actually, I'm bi."

She grinned, leaning in, putting a hand on his arm. "Well then, I'm lucky."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Seto stared at that bitch. How dare she put her hands on what was his. His cobalt eyes were hot with rage. Yami walked up. "We don't need another death, _Itoko_.

Besides, you were the one who refused him."

"I know what I did, _Cousin_. And I know why I did it. I don't need a lecture from you." Seto sneered.

"I wonder if you really do." Yami murmured quietly, walking away, towards Yugi.

Seto glared at Yami out of the side of his eye, then looked back at the scene that was Joey. Wha...where was he? Seto scanned the club and found him dancing with that bitch on the dance floor. Seto felt rage bubbling up inside him. Gripping the back of a chair, he shattered the backing. The rage was threatening to boil over.

She was way too close, her hands in his hair. Seto quit breathing. Well, he reminded himself humorlessly, trying to cage the rage in him, vampires do not need to breathe, but it is such a habit, they do it anyways...Now she was grinding against him. Joey and this girl headed off out of the club. Seto narrowed his eyes dangerously and followed, silent as death.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Giggling, Lucky had Joey pinned up against the wall outside the club, kissing his neck. She had her hands in his hair, nibbling on his neck. Seto blended into the darkness, watching, trembling in rage.

Joey's eyes were half lidded as she rubbed the outside of his pants. _Don't_ _fucking_ _do_ _it...anywhere_ _but_ _there..._

Lucky leaned up. "Wanna go to my room?" Joey nodded. They both ran across the street to the hotel. Lucky had her hands all over Joey. Seto followed in silence, anger mounting. In the elevator, Seto formed a mist hugging the floor. Lucky ran her hands over Joey chest. Seto glared as well as mist could glare...actually, it was more like the mist vibrated with rage. At the third floor they got out and went down the hall.

Seto reformed and glared. Opening the door, Lucky started to press her lips to Joey's...

 _Anywhere_ _but_ _there!_ _He's_ _mine!_ Seto emerged from the darkness, swinging at Lucky, knocking her unconscious. Joey's eyes flew open, locking with Seto's. Allistair came running. "Take her to get healed. Adjust her memory. She is no longer welcome at the club. Make sure she understands that. " Seto snarled.

Allistair nodded, picking the red head up and vanishing.

"What da _fuck_ do ya tink you're doin'?" Joey's honey eyes burned with anger.

"Mutt, go to your room and sleep off whatever you are under. It's beneath you to fuck around." Seto turned coldly.

"You aren't my dad, you aren't even my mate...you can't tell me what ta do." Joey growled.

"Oh, are you wanting to produce a litter of kittens?" Seto raised his eyebrow, voice dripping with disdain.

"Where da fuck do ya get off? You don't want me, but you don't want anyone else ta have me? How sick is dat? Did ya ever even love me?" The hurt was obvious in his eyes and voice.

Seto felt the rage about to take over. "Joesph, go to your room."

"Make me." Joey stood tall, meeting Seto's eyes. He was sick of Seto pushing him around. He was sick of being in love with him.

Seto's eyes flashed. "Stop. You dont want to push me."

Joey walked up to Seto, eyes never leaving. Placing his palms on Seto chest, he shoved Seto backwards.

Seto moved barely an inch, grabbing Joey's wrists. Jerking Joey up to be nose to nose, Seto snarled. "Don't think I won't hurt you. You can't tease a beast and expect it to remain tame." Joey's eyes widened, and he leaned up, capturing Seto's lips in his own.

That was it. He couldn't stop himself. He slammed Joey against the wall, devouring Joey's mouth. As Joey moaned, his mouth opened, Seto's tongue snaking in, exploring that moist cavern. Seto pinned Joey's arms above his head against the wall. Kissing, sucking, his eyes met Joey's.

"You're mine." Seto whispered savagely, sending sparks of electricity through Joey's body. Seto released Joey's hands and pushes Joey through the door, still kissing Joey greedily. Moving Joey in, he kicked the door shut.

Joey took advantage of having his hands free and ran his hands up under Seto's black shirt, ripping it open, kissing and sucking on Seto's chest. Seto walked Joey backwards until Joey's legs hit the bed, forcing him to fall down on the bed. Seto leaned down over him.

The look in those honey eyes stopped Seto cold. He stopped, sitting down next to Joey. Joey lay on his back, breathing heavy.

The silence stretched for minutes. Finally... "I am sorry."

Joey's eyes grew to the size of silver dollars. Seto was apologizing to _him_? Joey didn't know what to say. He rolled his head over to look at Seto.

Seto was looking down at his hands. Quietly, "I adore you. She is a part of you, so I love her. The closer you are to me, the more danger you are in. I want to protect you, but I don't know if I can. And I don't know if I can protect her. And I don't know what I would do if I lost either of you. I am not used to fear, and I reacted badly to it. But..." Seto looked at Joey, "I am selfish. I want you. I want you both. Please forgive me." He looked back down at his hands.

Joey stood up, coming to stand in front of Seto. He lifted Seto's head by the chin. Cobalt looked up under the shade of bangs.

"Be selfish. Because we love ya too, and we want ya. Both of us. Joto needs her other parent, and I need my mate. But stop running." Joey rubbed his thumb on Seto's cheek.

"Will you have me back?" Cobalt looked worried.

"Will you quit running and love me?" Honey looked worried, too. "Forever." Honey looked relieved.

"Forever." Cobalt looked relieved. "Let's get our girl and go home, Mutt."

Chapter 8: Brian

Ravyn paced outside of Yami's office. She was nervous. She didn't know how she was going to do this. Sighing, she knocked on the door. "Come in." The smooth baritone stated.

Walking in, she gulped. Crimson eyes shone warmly at her. "Ravyn, it is so good to see you up and well." Yami smiled, getting up and coming over to hug her.

Ravyn stiffened slightly as his arms circled her. Yami pulled back, confused. "What is it? Are you still in pain?"

Ravyn shook her head no. Tears forming, she hung her head. "I am here to take you to George."

Yami stumbled a step back. "Y...you...you're not working for George, are you?" Sighing, she raised her eyes to Yami. "No. I am not."

"Then why?" Crimson eyes hardened, confusion and hurt behind them.

"Because Maelstrom is working with George. And Maelstrom is in control of my sanity. Now, please come with me." Ravyn's tears slipped from her eyes.

Yami stood and numbly followed, betrayal in his eyes. _Yugi,_ _I wish_ _you_ _could_ _hear_ _me;_ _we are_ _leaving._

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi looked to Joey. "They are leaving."

"How do ya know dat? All we know is dat Yam' will be at da mansion at midnight, and you is gonna try to pump life to Yam'." Joey asked.

Yugi blinked, shocked. "I don't know...I just heard him in my head."

Joey smirked. "Ya got da link! It must be from da fusion! Try to talk to Yam'!"

 _Can_ _you_ _hear_ _me_ _Yami?_ _We are_ _ready_ _to_ _help._

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami walked to the car, getting in woodenly. Ravyn got in the front by the chauffer. The ride over was silent. Yami looked out the window, empty eyes. _How?_ _I_ _have_ _always_ _tried_ _to_ _be_ _fair,_ _good,_ _and_ _loyal._ _All_ _of_ _my_ _close_ _friends are_ _turning_ _on_ _me._ _All_ _I_ _have_ _left_ _is_ _Yugi, Seto,_ _and Naruto._ _Will_ _they_ _stay,_ _too?_ _Or will_ _they_ _turn?_ A tear slipped down his cheek.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi grabbed his stomach. Those thoughts...they hurt...his Yami...was hurting. _I will_ _never_ _turn_ _on_ _you._ _Ever._

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 _Yami...I_ _hear_ _you...but how?_ Crimson eyes widened; just then the car stopped. The door opened and Yami got out, following Ravyn silently. He walked into the mansion, mutely. Looking at the clock, the chimes rang midnight. Ravyn took him up the stairs and took him into the first room on the right on the second floor.

"Ah, Yami." George smiled congenially, holding out a hand to shake. You would think Yami was coming for a social call, not a torture session. Yami looked at the hand, then looked at George, arms at his sides.

"Let's get this over with."

George smiled. "Well, you will be happy to know I don't need more blood from you." "Then why am I here?" Yami kept George's eye contact.

"Why, to see the fruits of your labor...your blood is much more potent than we thought." George seemed almost...giddy.

Yami looked to Ravyn. "What is he talking about?"

Ravyn looked down. Shrugging, she sighed, scuffing her toe.

"Please, have a seat." He motioned to Yami to a cushioned wingback chair. Yami sat on it, alert.

Ravyn stood in front of a long table. George sat a package on the table wrapped in some kind of soft beige cloth, tied with twine. Pulling the chalice that he used to collect Yami's blood from last time out, he sat it on the table as well. Yami sat, watching dully. First Ji-Jin, now Ravyn. Rebecca wasn't at fault, she was possessed.

Ravyn started chanting something. Yami's eyes widened. It was... _Egyptian_. Taking the chalice, she held it up, chanting. Yami's brow became beaded with sweat.

Setting the chalice down, she picked up the package. Carefully unwrapping it, Yami saw what it was...a human hand.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi was sweating profusely. Seto was watching by the door, saying nothing. Joey was holding Yugi. Yugi's eyes were glazed, staring at something horrifying. Joey looked at Seto. "Are dey merged?"

Seto nodded. "It seems that the fusion gave them a telepathic mind link, instead of the emotional link we share."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Ravyn took the hand, sitting it in the chalice. Putting her hands over the chalice, she kept chanting. Her hands glowed black as her eyes closed. Yami looked in horror, face impassive. There was burning, and a horrific stench of rotting flesh. The clouds billowed, making it impossible to see. _Yugi...I_ _do_ _not_ _know what_ _is_ _happening._

After what seemed an eternity, the smoke cleared. Yami's eyes widened. There, standing beside Ravyn, was the Mayor's grandson. The grandson snapped open his eyes. Black eyes with blood red swirls locked eyes with Yami.

George laughed, tears running down his face. "Brian!"

The grandson turned. Ok, that must be Brian. "Grandfather."

Looking to Ravyn, Brian smiled. "Your services are much appreciated. But your silence is needed." Putting a hand out, he put his pointer finger to Ravyn's forehead. A few seconds later, she started screaming. "Oh, no...no, no, no...this wasn't the deal! Get outta my fucking head!" She started ripping her hair out, running out of the room.

Turning to George, Brian held arms out, hands open. George ran to him, hugging him. Brian smiled, eyes locked with Yami. Snapping George's neck, he ripped George's head and started drinking the blood. Pulling his face back, covered in blood, Brian smiled, dropping George's body like a rag doll. "Shezmu needs me. He will return. Soon. And he will destroy your precious Yugi for his master, Maelstrom."

Chapter 9: Information

Yami stood. Slowly, he backed up, mind on Yugi. He didn't know if Ji-Jin was in the club, hiding. "What are you?"

Brian smiled, teeth full of jagged edges. "A blood demon, servant of a chaos demon." Smiling wider, Yami saw a second row of jagged teeth, much like a shark. "Better run, spend time with Yugi while you can..." Dissolving into a rust colored mist, Yami took the opportunity and ran. Within two minutes he was back to the club.

Rushing in, he ran to his room. Bursting in, he was greeted by Seto's hand around his throat. Growling, Yami threw Seto, who landed on his feet. Raising hands as he realized who had came in, Seto backed up. Yami's eyes scanned over the room, recordimg who was there.

Yami ran over to Yugi, grabbing him from Joey and holding him close. "Keep security tightened. Has anyone heard from the ninjas?"

"Not yet, but they have to have travel time, Cousin." Seto stated calmly. "What did you see?" Yugi asked shakily.

Yami sat, cradling Yugi. He was trying desperately not to shake. "They used my blood to resurrect the Mayor's grandson. He is a blood demon, and he is working for Shezmu."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 _What_ _am_ _I_ _doing_ _in_ _here?_ _Let_ _me_ _out!_ _Please!_ _I_ _can't_ _move_ _my_ _arms!_ _Where is_ _Joey?_

"Stop!" The dark haired girl screeched, running into the city.

 _Please_ _tell_ _me_ _where I_ _am?_ _Where is_ _Duke?_

"Leave me the hell alone!" Ravyn ran down the sidewalk. Bumping into a green haired man, she looked about, wide eyed.

"Can I help?" he asked kindly.

 _If you_ _won't_ _help_ _me,_ _I_ _will have_ _to_ _transform_ _to_ _get_ _help._ _Please_ _just_ _help_ _me!_

"Nooooooooo!" Screaming, the woman ran into the darkness.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

A woman walked in, her brown pixie haircut shaggily cut. Her brown eyes scanned the room. Walking over to a bartender, she smiled. "Hi, it's my first day. Who do I talk to?"

He smiled. "You're looking for Honda...hold on." After a minute or two, Honda walked over. "Hi, I am Honda. You must be Sara."

She smiled and nodded.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Brian walked into the club. Music pumping, he looked around. So many...snacks. Licking his lips, he greedily looked around.

"Brian!" The sugary voice stopped him, making him whip his head around. Blond curls bounced up to him. "It's done?"

"Yes, Mistress. It is done." Basic human thought registered in the back of his mind.

 _She is_ _pretty...I...I_ _know_ _her!_ _It's Mai_ _Valentine!_

"Good. Now don't go around making a mess of everything. Be a good servant, and Shezmu will reward you, as will I." She cooed, running a blood red nail down his face.

Walking up a flight of steps, she opened a door, revealing plush carpet with pink and purple hues as the predominant theme in the room. Shutting the door behind Brian, she walked over to a cabinet, pulling three crystal glasses out. Clinking three ice cubes in each glass, she opened a decanter, pouring the copper liquid equally in each glass. Handing one to Brian, she sat on a couch.

"When do I get more blood?" he whined, eyeing the other glass.

"Soon. However, we need to discuss our next steps." Sipping daintily, Malestrom closed her eyes.

A few moments passed. Brian became edgy. "Well? What are the next steps?" he demanded.

"Patience, dear boy. We are waiting for one more." As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. "Enter." Ji-Jin entered silently. Malestrom smiled.

"Now we can begin." Smiling she leaned up. "What have you brought me, Ji-Jin?"

Ji-Jin bowed. "They know my plans, due to George. Now I cannot roam the shadows. However, I have gained valuable information."

Maelstrom handed him a glass, which he took, sitting down. Swallowing some of the liquid, he sighed.

"Go on." she purred.

Keeping his head bowed, he continued. "The biggest threats are Yugi, Yami, Seto, and Joey...in that order. However, they are all bonded some how. Seto and Joey are fused. Take out Seto, Joey will follow. However, I can guarantee, if you want Seto out of the picture...kill Joey."

Swallowing the rest of the copper liquid, he sighed. "The only way you will get Yugi is to legitamately threaten Yami. Yugi is Heba, reincarnated. Those two are soulmates if there ever were any."

Shamefully, he looked down. "However, you have other issues. Ciacto is back and has Kisara in his employ. He can prove troublesome with his obsession over Kurasha. And if he touches her, the dragons will come down _en_ _masse_."

Maelstrom stared at him expectantly. Sighing, he continued. "Brian unleased Serenity; so Ravyn is running loose."

Maelstrom smiled. "Thank you. Now, go fetch me the baby...she will make a fitting sacrifice."

Ji-Jin rose reluctantly. Walking to the door, he stopped at Maelstrom's voice. "Don't fail me. I will release the beast inside of him and that will kill your love. Poor, unrequited love..." Maelstrom cooed sympathetically.

"I know." Ji-Jin growled. "You remind me every time I see you."

Maelstrom smirked. "I just want to make sure you don't forget that Honda's life is in your hands."

Chapter 10: Nightmare

Joto lay still, deep in sleep. Seto stood, staring at the baby. Joey walked up, looking at her, hand in Seto's shoulder. "She okay?"

Seto nodded. Joey looked up at Seto and snarling, stepped back. Seto's eyes widened slightlty. Seto felt something wet on his lips that tasted...so deliciously sweet. Looking at his hands, he saw blood. Looking at Joey, he looked confused.

"Ya bastard!" Growling, Joey leapt at Seto, transforming, teeth elongating.

"Joey!" Seto stepped away from Joey...and that's when he saw it...Joto laying there, in a pool of blood, 2 puncture wounds in her neck. Seto backed away...hands raised, realizing Joto's blood was on his lips.

Seto sat straight up in bed, breathing heavy. Looking over at Joey, he sighed. Honey hair hung over closed eyes, the sound of light snoring coming from Joey. His naked chest lay half covered up. Seto got up silently and crept over, checking on Joto, who opened her eyes then and smiled, chubby arms stretching towards Seto.

Staring at her, he looked towards Joey. Seeing Joey was still asleep, he leaned down, kissing Joto on the forehead. "I will protect you and your father with all I have. I will give my life for either of you."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi woke, Yami still clutched to him like a lifeline. Yugi smiled, then tried to disentangle himself from Yami. Yami groaned in sleep and pulled Yugi tighter. Yugi cuddled back down, drifting off to sleep.

Feeling a nibbling on his throat, he opened his eyes. Seeing crimson staring at his, he smiled. " _No_ _me_ _hito_ , what are you doing?"

Nothing was said as pleasure started coursing through Yugi's body. Running fingers down into the tri colored hair, he moaned softly. His eyes slid closed as lips started tickling down his body with light kisses. As he felt Yami's mouth take in his member, he moaned. Opening his eyes, he looked down and saw Rebecca. "Yami won't touch you now." She smirked, smiling at the discolored flesh mark she had left.

Yugi screamed, falling out of bed. Yami instantly caught him. "Aibou, what is wrong?" Shaking, Yugi just clung to Yami, eyes squeezed shut. Yami simply held him, stroking his back until he fell back asleep.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Allea slept, fitfully. She tossed and turned most of the night. Finally, as the dew was being burnt off the grass with the sun's first rays, she gave up on sleep, getting up.

Walking into the bathroom, she splashed some water on her face, smoothing her hair. Humming as she made her way back to the bedroom, she stopped cold at the sight in front of her.

"Red!" she screamed, running for the bed. Tied to the bed was Red, groanimg in agony at the Light Rods impaled in him, holding him in place, each wrist, each shoulder, each hip. Sobbing, she ran to him, trying to pull out the rods. Her hands bled as she futilely grabbed the rods trying to free them, pain coursing through her arms.

In between groans, Red just looked at her, asking "Why?"

Catching a deep intake of breath, Allea's eyes flew open. Red slept next to her, arms securely wrapped around her.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Ryou slept fitfully, tossing and turning. Blackness rolled in his brain, deep, billowing clouds of blackness. In the middle of the blackness was black eyes with blood red swirls.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey sat up, rubbing his eyes. Seto slept peacefully beside him, Joto on Seto's chest. Joey couldn't help but smile. The scene warmed his heart. Seto's face was relaxed in sleep, hand protectively over Joto.

Just then, a blade was to Joey's throat. _What_ _the_ _hell?_ _How_ _did_ _I_ _not_ _smell_ _someone?_ At that moment, Seto opened his eyes, smiling a sweet smile at his lover. "Nooooo!" Joey screamed, too late as the blade went through Seto's neck, decapitating him. Seto's lifeless body disintegrated into ash, leaving Joto screaming in the middle of it as Ji-Jin grabbed her and disappeared, the blade disappearing from Joey's throat at the same time.

Joey woke, screaming bloody murder. Seto grabbed him by the shoulders. "Joey, look at me!" Joey turned a wide eyed frightened gaze to Seto.

"You're okay?! Where's Jo?" Frantic, Joey started to get up. Seto held Joto up carefully; Joey could see she was feeding from a bottle with little elephants on it. The scene would have been sweet but for the dream he just had. Sweating, Joey put his head in his hands. "I jes' had a 'orrible nightmare."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami ran. He ran with all he had. He ran through the woods, skidding out onto... _sand?_ Seeing the palace in the distance, he kept running.

Once inside the palace walls, he stopped. _Why_ _were_ _there_ _so_ _many_ _people_ _here?_ Walking slowly, he saw that all were in formal attire. All had subdued expressions. "Excuse me..." Yami tapped a man on the shoulder. The man acted like he didn't

hear or see Yami. Yami shook his head and turned to the woman. "Pardon me?" She looked right through him.

Frownimg in frustration, he turned and went up the line to see what they were standing in line for. Once he saw...he didn't want to see. He tried to turn around. He couldn't. He tried to run. He couldn't. His feet kept taking him to the front of the line...to where his Yugi lay, dead, on display for all to see. Porcelain skin shone with an ethereal beauty. Those beautiful amethyst eyes would look upon him no more.

Stepping away, his eyes stayed locked on Yugi's lifeless body. No...it was Heba..Yugi is still alive.

As if on cue, Seto walked up. "No, my Pharaoh, Yami...This is Yugi, not Heba." Seto said in a sorrowful tone.

Crimson snapped open, staring at the ceiling. _Spend time_ _with_ _Yugi_ _while_ _you_ _still_ _can..._

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Akeifa awoke, looking over at Ryou in the other bed, thrashing. "Bloody fucking hell."

Getting up, he walked the corridors. Stopping at Rafael, he questioned, "Any odd racket in there?"

Rafael looked confused. "Huh, what do you mean?" Watching with a wary eye, Rafael didn't move.

"Look, I'm not asking if they were hanging from the rafters fucking each other til Yami's dick came outta Yugi's mouth...I'm asking if there were.. ah, fuck it." Headbutting Rafael into unconsciousness, Akeifa took Rafael's body and laid it in a corner, entering Yami and Yugi's room. "Hey, dillholeheads, wake up. Had any nightmares?"

Yami was holding Yugi protectively, warily watching Akeifa. "Yes, why?"

Akeifa sighed. "Fuck, just what I fucking thought. Go get Ice Queen and Pussy and meet me in your office. I'm going to get Ryou and the demon/angel duo. Some major shit is going down."

Chapter 11: Unlikely Help

Yugi crawled up in Yami's lap in the office. Seto went and sat down on the couch, Joey holding Joto sitting down next to him. Allea rushed in, eyes full of worry, Red stomping in behind, looking angry as usual.

Everyone sat in tense silence...Yugi and Joey glaring at Allea and Red. Allea had the decency to look uncomfortable; Red just glared back, angry.

The door swung open. "Really, I can walk you know..." came the soft British voice.

"Yea, but it's fucking quicker if I walk. You wanted to change out of your fucking bunny pajamas!" All eyes went to the door as Akeifa sat a sleepy and disgruntled Ryou down. Ryou was indeed in pale blue pajamas with a pattern of white bunnies on them.

"Alright, wankers, shit is going down." Akeifa pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with a black Zippo lighter with a silver skull etched on it. Letting the smoke curl out of his mouth, he looked at each in turn, snapping his lighter shut.

Seto stared at Akeifa coldly. Joto was reaching for Seto, so he took her, adjusting her in his left arm. "Out with it, Psycho."

Akeifa sighed. Ignoring Seto, he looked at the room. "A'right, let me guess, errebody in this fucking room has had nightmares except Red and Yours Truly. Right?" He took a drag off his cigarette.

Everyone looked around at each other uncomfortably. Yami stared at Akeifa. Warily, he asked, "What of it, Akeifa?"

"Are ya gonna let me tell the fuckin' story or are ya gonna narrarate this bitch?" He glared at Yami, who sighed, frowning on one side of his mouth, and simply looked at Akeifa. "Now, as I was bloody well saying, Maelstrom is getting stronger. She is starting to use her minions to bring her power. Terror demons are on the loose."

Seto stared coolly at Akeifa. "You want us to believe that since we have all had nightmares, that means terror demons are out. Although it is just as plausible that we are all simply traumatized." Seto raised an eyebrow.

"Fuck yeah. Now you're getting it Princess!" Akeifa smiled, taking another drag on his cigarette, ash falling to the floor.

"Now, I suggest that you fuckers go up to your cabin on the beach for a couple days, get away, let me an'ole Red here take care of dis bitch." Akeifa winked at Red, who growled dangerously at Akeifa.

Before anyone else could reply, Akeifa grabbed Ryou around the waist. "You go pack too, SexyMe." He waggled his eyes at Ryou, who blushed ferociously. Akeifa smacked Ryou's ass and walked out, smirking the whole while, dragging Ryou.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() "Three..."

Akeifa walked into Yami's room, after headbutting and dragging Rafael in with him, sitting Ryou down and winking at him.

"Two..." Akeifa laid Rafael in the corner, sitting down in a chair, kicking his feet up on the table, gesturing for Ryou to sit in the other, which he did.

"One..." Smirking, he crossed his arms as Yami, Yugi, Seto, Joey, Joto, Allea, and Red came busting into the room, Allea shutting the door behind her.

Seto handed Joto to Joey and stood over Akeifa. "Explain yourself."

Akeifa smirked. "Glad you all took the fucking bait. I needed a diversion, twat." "Do not test my pat..." Seto started as Yami cut in.

"Akeifa, please, stop talking in riddles. What do you mean by all that you have said?" Yami asked, squeezing Yugi's hand.

"What I mean, Count Bloodula, is exactly what I said upstairs. She is growing in power. The only ones not affected are demons. Which is why the fuck me and Jolly Green Giant here are fine." He nodded his head at Red.

Joey lunged at Akeifa, Seto stepping in front of Joey. "What kind of demon?" Seto asked matter of factly.

"A fucking terror demon, dickfuck. How else would I know what was happening?" He raised an eyebrow back at Seto.

"All right everyone. Let us just calm down for a second." Ryou stood in his bunny pajamas, holding up two hands between Akeifa and everyone else. "Akeifa, are you seriously suggesting we all go to the beach cabin?" Chocolate eyes studied Akeifa carefully.

"Fuck no! I said that for the spy cams in the fucking office. I think we need to have the place debugged again, find Ji-Jin, debug this fucker one more time, and torture the bastard to find out what he knows. I mean, damn, to turn on your father, that's fucked up." Akeifa grabbed Ryou, pulling Ryou into his lap.

"And..." he whispered sikily to Ryou, "I still gotta take you on a test drive." Ryou blushed furiously as Akeifa ran his hand down Ryou's thigh.

Yugi jumped up. "Akeifa! We don't have time for your sex life right now! My friends are in danger, we need a plan!" Amethyst blazing.

Akeifa stood, eyes blazing. "Look, shrimp kabob, in case you haven't figured it fucking out yet, everyone in this fucking room is in danger except for Sleeping Beauty over there." He nodded savagely at Rafael.

"I was that crazy bitch's second in command after Red ditched her ass for Angel Princess here." At that Red advanced on Akeifa. Allea jumped in between the two. Ryou pulled on Akeifa's arm to hold him back.

Glaring, Akeifa looked at the room. "Yea, we are all fucked. She wants Red back, she wants to kill Allea because she took Red, she hates Seto because he helped Atem. Yugi is her downfall, so she wants him dead or turned. And she hates me because she can't control me and sees me as a traitor. Pretty fucked up, huh?"

Yugi looked around. "That doesn't explain Joey, Joto, or Ryou being in danger." Akeifa just looked at Yugi. "She will use Joey and Joto to hurt Seto."

Yugi stared hard at Akeifa. "And Ryou? Because he is friends with Yami?"

"No." Akeifa looked down, swallowing thickly all of a sudden. "Ryou is fucked because of me." Looking up at Ryou from underneath eyelashes, he sighed. "Since I was her second, I was fucking supposed to love and serve no one but her. She sent me to scare up power, literally, from the chaos of nightmares. Nightmares are terror demons speciality. So, one night, as I was doing my thing, I went into this room to get my terror on, and this fluffy little angel looks at me and asks if I am there to protect him."

"He was the only one I met who hadn't been scared of me. I tried to scare him, showing him my wings, snarling at him...he just looked at me and laughed! Said I was fucking funny! When I tried to leave, he came up, saying I looked fucking sad and needed a fucking hug! This ballsy lil fucker came up to me and hugged me!"

Akeifa looked down. "I fell in love with the fucker right then. I kept coming to visit him, and then the bitch found out. I came one night and the bitch had him staked in a four pointed star position, knives in every major artert.." his head bending over, he quit talking.

Everyone was silent. Finally Akeifa spoke again. "This crazy fucker bound her from killing me when his blood was spilled. Seems he always comes back as a spellie. So she can't kill me, but she can fucking take him from me again...and again...and again."

Ryou gasped quietly, looking at Akeifa. "How many times have we met?" Akeifa looked at Ryou. "Seven."

Quietly, Ryou asked, "how many times has she killed me?" "Six."

"And how many times have you watched?" "Six."

Chapter 12: Lock and Key

YAOI LEMON WARNING AT ####-DON'T LIKE, NOT OLD ENOUGH, DON'T READ.

The room was silent. Amethyst eyes shone with unshed tears. Yugi looked at Yami. How strong was Akeifa, to have sat through six deaths of Ryou? Maybe the crassness was a mask to hide the pain?

"Awright bitches, so when are the ninjas gonna get done fisting each other and come back?" Akeifa looked at the others.

Or maybe he's just an ass...Yugi sighed.

Yami bristled. "They will be back as soon as they can. Naruto will not fail me." _I_ _hope..._

"Good. Well then, fuckers, I am going back to sleep. Let me know when the ninjas come back." With that, he walked out.

Ryou looked at all of the people in the room, smiling apologetically. Quietly he le .

Looking at everyone, Allea sighed. "We are here, willing to help, even if Ji-Jin turned. I hope you can trust us sometime." Turning to Red, she grabbed his hand and le .

Which left Yami, Yugi, Joey, Seto, and Joto. Seto snorted, looking at Rafael. "Maybe you need better security for your room?"

Yami frowned.

"Perhaps Honda would be better. He can turn to stone." _Is_ _Seto_ _being_ _an_ _ass?_

Yugi looked at Yami questioningly. Yami's cheeks dusted pink.

 _Joey,_ _please_ _leave._ _I_ _need_ _to_ _talk_ _to_ _Yami._

Joey's eyes opened wide at the ... tone...of Yugi's thoughts, but he said nothing, turning to Seto.

"Le's go back to bed. Jo needs changed." Seto looked down at Jo, and nodded. The trio left.

After the door shut, Yugi turned to Yami. "Spill it."

Yami turned to Rafael, picking him up as if he weighed nothing. Opening the door, Honda was there. _Damnit._ "Honda, please see that Rafael is taken to the infirmary." Honda nodded, taking Rafael. Yami shut the door, not turning from it.

"You need to talk. Now. Before I get angry." Yami's mouth fell open slightly at the dominance in Yugi's voice.

Yami turned. Amethyst was darker than usual. Yami sighed. "I found out that Honda is in love with me and has been for many years. He knows that you are my Aibou, and he has no desire to interefere."

Yugi walked up, grabbimg Yami and pulling him to Yugi. "You're mine. I don't share. Got it?" Yami's eyes got wider as his member twitched in his pants. Yami nodded, tongue inching out to wet his suddenly dry lips.

Yugi's eyes narrowed, as he shoved Yami against the wall. Hungrily, he took Yami's lips in his own, grinding against Yami. Grabbing Yami's wrists, he held them to the side as he kissed down Yami's neck, sucking until he had made his mark. "You're mine. I am yours. Feed off of none but me." Yami let out a shaky breath and nodded.

Yugi smiled sweetly at Yami then. "Okay, let's go to sleep." Turning, he stripped and crawled into bed. Yami just looked at Yugi.

"Yugi...I, uh...I need to take a shower. You left me in an uncomfortable position." Turning, Yugi took in Yami's hooded eyes and obvious bulge. Smiling, Yugi took Yami's hand.

"Let's both go take a shower. I'll make sure you are _very_ clean." Smirking, Yami followed obediently. Yami was beginning to enjoy this more dominant Yugi.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Akeifa, are you awake?" Ryou's soft voice floated on the dark air in the shared bedroom.

"No. Put your bunnies to bed."

Ryou walked over to Akeifa's bed. Turning on the bedside lamp, he saw Akeifa laying in bed, unlit cigarette in his mouth.

"You are obviously awake." Ryou stated, pointing out the obvious.

Akeifa turned on his side, tossing the cigarette on the table, his back to Ryou. "Just go to sleep, SexyMe." His voice sounded...tired.

Ryou walked over to the other side of the bed, kneeling so his head was even with Akeifa's. Brushing bangs out of dark eyes, Ryou's eyes widened slightly whem Akeifa grabbed his wrist.

"Dont." Akeifa choked out.

"Don't what?" Ryou stated, lips closer to Akeifa.

"Don't. Don't pity kiss or pity fuck me." The dark eyes looked tortured.

"I hadn't planned on it. I have wanted you since the first time I saw you, Theif. Since I was in Pharaoh's Court as the Royal Spellcaster. I have loved you for seven lifetimes now." Ryou's eyes held Akeifa's.

Akeifa sat up, eyes never leaving Ryou's. "You remember?" he choked. Ryou nodded. "Not until you told the story earlier. But now, yes, I do."

Akeifa stood, walking to the door. "No, Ryou, I cannot. I don't think I can bear losing you again. If I act like I don't give two fucks, she will leave you alone."

"No, she won't. You know that." He walked to Akeifa's side, putting his hands on Akeifa's cheeks, turning him towards Ryou. Leaning up, Ryou pressed his lips to Akeifa's. Chocolate locked with dark. "Please, don't let me be without you in this lifetime"

########################

Akeifa's will disintegrated. Picking Ryou up bridal style, he carried him back to the bed, laying him down gently. Leaning over Ryou, he took in the beauty laying beneath him. "I love you. So fucking much."

Leaning down, he kissed Ryou, gently undoing the buttons on the bunny pajamas. Seeing the pale chest, he sucked in his breath. He had forgotten how handsome Ryou was. Kissing down Ryou's chest, he stopped, looking up. Ryou's eyes were closed, his breathing shallow.

Akeifa's pants were getting uncomfortably tight. Grabbing the waistband, he pulled Ryou's pj bottoms and underwear down and off in one pull. Ryou gasped as his member sprang to attention in the cool air. Akeifa smirked.

Kneeling down, he took Ryou in his mouth. "Ohh, Akeifa..." Ryou mumbled, arching his back to Akeifa. Akeifa smiled, running his fingers lightly over Ryou's inner thighs, which he knew drove Ryou crazy. Ryou got harder, moaning. Ryou's moans just made Akeifa harder.

As Akeifa's tongue swirled over Ryou's shaft and tip, Ryou started moaning and thrusting. "Ohh, that feels so good."

Smirking, Akeifa kept up his work, driving Ryou wild. Just when it felt like Ryou was ready for release, Akeifa would stop, dragging out the torturous pleasure.

"Please...I need you inside me, please..." he panted, eyes locked on Akeifa. Akeifa smiled and nodded, holding three fingers up to Ryou's mouth. Greedily Ryou sucked on them. Akeifa then, as gently as possible, started working on loosening Ryou up. His fingers hitting the bundle of nerves, Ryou's eyes flew open and then slid shut in the exquisite bliss of Akeifa hitting that spot again and again.

When Akeifa felt that Ryou was ready, he stripped off his clothes and positioned himself over Ryou. "Ready?" he asked, looking at Ryou's face.

Chocolate eyes opened and smiled tenderly, but dark with lust, at Akeifa. "Yes, Key, I want my first and only lover to be you."

Akeifa's eyes went wide, not only at the declaration, but at the pet name that only those two shared. As he stiffened more, he went, gently easing himself in. Ryou whimpered, and Akeifa stopped. Watching Ryou's face, he judged when to put more of himself in. Finally, when he was all the way in, he started moving gently. Ryou started moaning almost immediately. Akeifa grabbed Ryou's member, stroking in time with the thrusts until Ryou exploded all over Akeifa and himself, while Akeifa released inside of Ryou.

Crawling next to Ryou, holding him in his arms, Ryou yawned. "Seven is a lucky number, we will beat her this time." Holding Ryou close, Akeifa stared at the dark before closing his eyes. _I_ _hope_ _so_ _Lock,_ _I_ _hope_ _so._

Chapter 13: Captured!

Yami woke up to a banging on his door. Opening one eye lazily, he stated, rather loudly, "Who is it?"

"Hey! It's Naruto! We gotta present for you!" His cheerful voice yelled through the door. Yami sat up, yawning. Yugi pulled the covers over his head.

"Do we hafta get up?" Yugi mumbled.

"No, Aibou, you sleep." Standing and slightly wincing, he smiled. Yugi was definitely getting more aggressive. Yami slipped on some pants, opening the door. Once he opened the door, his mouth fell open. "Yugi, get up. We have company. Rafael, please go get Seto."

Yugi sat up, frowning. "I thought you said I didn't have to..." he stopped, mouth opening.

Naruto walked in, along with Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, and a tall, thin blond lady he didn't know. However, the tall, thin blond lady was holding a rope that was wound around Ji-Jin. It didn't look like Ji-Jin came willingly as his lip was busted, and the skin around his left eye was so swollen and purple that his actual eye couldn't be seen. Yugi jumped up, naked, snarling, transforming into his large leopard form.

Yami had to grab Yugi's neck to keep him in check.

About two minutes later, Seto walked in, followed by Joey. Seto raised an eyebrow, Joey growling. Yami was sitting at a bistro chair, petting Yugi's head, which was in Yami's lap, eyes on Ji-Jin. "Shut the door, please." Joey tured, shutting the door.

Yami's eyes never left Ji-Jin.

"Thank you all for bringing him here. I can never repay this debt." Yami kept the stare, his heart breaking into a thousand pieces. Looking to Ji-Jin, "Why?"

Ji-Jin said nothing, staring at Yami.

"Hey, Yami's talkin' to you! Answer him!" Naruto kicked Ji-Jin in the leg. Yami stared sadly at his son. "Why?"

Ji-Jin stared at Yami. A tear slipped out of his eye, but he said nothing.

Naruto looked to Sasuke; Sasuke looked to Naruto. Naruto nodded, but Yami raised a hand. "Thank you both, but Ji-Jin will tell me."

Ji-Jin spat bloody sputum by his feet, looking up at Yami. "You will never understand." His voice was tired.

Yami sighed, looking at Ji-Jin. "Maybe I won't, but maybe I will...you will never know unless you tell me."

"If Seto were in danger, would you sacrifice all to save him?" Ji-Jin asked quietly. "It would depend on what needed to be sacrificed." Yami stated coolly.

"If it was a choice between Yugi and Seto...?" Ji-Jin never let his gaze leave Yami's.

Yami's eyes widened in realization. "I would never sacrifice Yugi. For any reason."

"Thank you." Ji-Jin looked down. "Please, untie me. I can show and explain all. I will harm none of you."

 _Yugi,_ _he is_ _telling_ _the_ _truth._ _You_ _can_ _sense_ _it,_ _I_ _know_ _it._ _Yes,_ _he_ _is._ _But_ _he is_ _hiding_ _something._ _Be_ _careful_ _my_ _Love._

"Please, leave us alone. Go make yourself comfortable, get some Ramen."

Naruto looked uncomfortable, but he walked out with his group. "Don't hurt him...or I will hurt you." Walking out, he shut the door.

Ji-Jin looked up. Seto walked up, saying nothing. Easily he snapped the ropes, backing up again when it was done.

Ji-Jin fell on one knee. Head bowed, he spoke. "Father, I am truly sorry. I love you. You saved me. You took me in, and cared for me. I always said I would protect you. And I always have. Until now. Now I have let you down. For that, I cannot forgive myself."

"Who?" Yami asked, simply. "Honda." Ji-Jin bowed his head. "How?"

"A poison pellet, in my forehead and in the base of his neck. If one is detonated, there is no way to stop it and there is no antidote." Turning, he undid a scarf he always wore on his forehead, exposing his forehead and a small bump on it. "If it is messed with at all, if anyone tries to deactivate it, it goes off. She can detonate them herself. The only other way they are detonated is if the trigger is destroyed. If the trigger is destroyed, both detonate at the same time."

"Where is the trigger?" Yami asked, concerned.

"In the body that she put a piece of her soul in." Ji-Jin sighed heavily.

"Do you know where that is?" Seto asked coolly, watching the scene with interest. "Yes." Ji-Jin said, ashamed.

"Then why haven't you destroyed that person?" Yugi asked, confused.

"Because she knew I couldn't destory the host vessel. That is how she is keeping herself and the detonation trigger safe."

"But there isn't anyone that is so sacred to put that kind of trust in...that none would want to hurt or be scared to hurt..." Yugi's eyes grew wide..."except you, Yami."

Yami's eyes widened in surprise and horror.

"Ji-Jin..." Yami reached out for Ji-Jin. Ji-Jin came to him, hugging him tight. Yugi stiffened slightly.

Releasing from the hug, Ji-Jin caressed Yami's face. "Father, I love you. I always have. And now I see you have others that can protect you as well as I can. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for giving me freedom, when I was younger, and now. I cannot do this myself..." And with that, a sickening crunch was heard as Ji-Jin dropped his forehead forcefully onto Yami's shoulder, causing the pellet to dissolve. Seto reached out, but too late. Looking up at Yami grimly, he shook his head.

As his life was leaving him, Ji-Jin stated, "Father, tell Honda I love him."

Chapter 14: Soul Chaos

 _If I_ _run,_ _if I_ _keep_ _running...then_ _she_ _will_ _stop._ _Have_ _to_ _..._ _concentrate on..._ _breathing._ _I can_ _still_ _talk to_ _you._ _I_ _just want_ _to_ _be_ _friends..._

 _Shut_ _up!_ _Shut_ _up!_ _Shut_ _up!_

 _Where_ _is_ _Duke?_ _You_ _never_ _answered_ _that?_ _Keep_ _running! Keep_ _running!_ _Exhaustion_ _is_ _bliss._ _WHERE._ _IS._ _DUKE?_

 _Running._ _Running._ _Running._ _Noooooo._

The raven haired woman stopped. Where was she? Where was Duke? Who was Duke? What is...inside. She will go inside...

 _All_ _these_ _people._ _Do I_ _know_ _all_ _these people?_ _Yes._ _No._ _The_ _brink._ _Happiness._ _Euphoria._

A couple of people looked oddly at the raven haired girl laughing maniacally. Most just ignored her in favor of the pumping beat. She made her way through the crowds to an empty seat in the back.

 _Must_ _keep_ _running._ _Just_ _a_ _moment_ _to_ _rest._ _Then_ _back_ _to_ _running._ _WHERE IS_ _DUKE?_ _WHERE_ _IS_ _JOEY?_

 _Ignoring_ _isn't_ _helping._ _Let's try_ _the direct_ _approach...Bitch!_ _I_ _don't_ _even_ _recognize_ _the_ _name_ _Duke_ _and_ _as far_ _as Joey_ _goes,_ _he is_ _with_ _Seto. Leave_ _me_ _the_ _fuck_ _alone!_

Feeling oddly relieved somewhat, the girl looked around. Hey, wait...she has been here before, hasn't she? The Egyptian architecture...

 _Oh_ _thank goodness_ _my_ _brother is_ _alright!_ _But_ _we_ _have_ _to_ _find_ _Duke!_

Ravyn had just about had enough of this bitch in her head. When she agreed to help Seto, she had no idea she would be host to this bitch...

 _Wait...what...what_ _did_ _I_ _agree_ _to_ _help_ _Seto_ _do?_ _Hey, isn't_ _this_ _Yami's_ _club...maybe_ _Joey is_ _here..._

 _Bitch, I_ _done_ _tole'_ _you_ _to_ _SHUT._ _THE._ _FUCK._ _UP! A_ _drink..a drink_ _will drown_ _her!_

People looked at Ravyn as she crazily weaved her way through the crowd, up to the bar. Giggling crazily, she caught the attention of the brown haired pixie serving.

Walking over, the pixie smiled tentatively at the distraught girl. "What can I get you?"

 _Ask her_ _where_ _Joey_ _is!_

 _Will_ _that shut_ _you_ _the_ _fuck_ _jup?_ _Yes, just_ _ask_ _her!_

"Um, d...do you know where Joey or Seto are?"

The pixie's gaze hardened. "What do you want with Joey or Seto?" "Well, um, I'm Joey's sister...and I know..."

 _Bitch,_ _don't_ _EVER_ _take_ _control_ _of_ _my_ _body_ _again!_

"I don't know where they are. Haven't seen them tonight. You want something to drink?" The bartender seemed angry.

About then, a brown haired male with piercing blue eyes bumped into Ravyn. "Oh, sorry, love...didn't see you standing there." He smiled and wandered off.

"Yes, I want an Alabama Slammer." Pixie nodded and left.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami held Ji-Jin's lifeless body, and cried. Yugi had transformed back into human form and held Yami. Joey and Seto stood by, silently. Joey grabbed Seto's hand.

Soon they could hear arguing outside the door. Valon's voice was heard loudly. "I bloody well need to go in and see Yami...I have something EXTREMELY important to give him."

Rafael's voice came through as well. "I told you to piss off. Boss's busy."

Yami looked to Seto. Seto nodded and went to the door, opening it slightly. "Rafael, allow Valon through. Thank you."

Valon adjusted his clothes, smirking, and walked in, smile diminishing on the scene. "Oh, shit...I'm sorry..."

Yami laid Ji-Jin down carefully, tenderly. Standing, crimson eyes redder due to sadness, he looked at Valon. "Thank you. Now, what is so extremely important for you to give me."

"Right..." Valon went to his belt. Frantically he searched his clothing, patting himself down, checking pockets. "Where the bloody hell is it?"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Pixie slammed the drink on the counter. Ravyn smiled, looking down at the wallet and blade that she had picked off the stranger that bumped into her. Opening the wallet, she found a bill and handed it to Pixie, waving off any change. Now she had money and protection. Wandering off back to one of those booths, she went in, closing the curtain. Throwing back the drink, it burned it's way down her throat.

 _We_ _have_ _to_ _go_ _find_ _Joey._

 _Damnit,_ _why_ _won't_ _you_ _shut_ _up?_

The blade looked very odd...it was red with a black hilt. What the hell kind of blade was it?

 _What_ _kind_ _of_ _blade_ _is_ _that?_

 _If you_ _don't_ _shut_ _up,_ _I_ _will_ _show_ _you!_

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Shit...I had Exodia when I walked into this club!"

The quartet's eyes widened. Joey responded first. "Had?"

Recognition dawning..."Fuck, fuck, fuck...the girl!" Valon turned, running out.

The four ran out after him. Many eyes turned following the group. To be fair, it was an odd site seeing Yami and Seto, whom many clubgoers and of course, employees knew, out in the club. But to see Valon, Joey and naked Yugi with them topped the cake. Valon ran back to the bar, to where he saw the black haired girl. "Shit! She was right here! We have to find her, now. That blade is unstable! How the hell was she able to pickpocket off of me?!"

Valon saw the pixie who was at the bar when he bumped into the girl. "Hey, miss...where did that black haired girl go who was sitting here a few minutes ago?"

Pixie turned, brown eyes taking in the request before settling on Seto. Gulping, she looked down, stammering. "O...over towards the booths."

"Thanks Love." Valon and group hurried towards the booths ringing the edge of the club, Seto's eyes lingering a bit on the pixie. She seemed very familiar...

Yami started opening booths, apologizing to patrons who were indisposed, closing drapes quickly if the woman wasn't in there. Seto and the rest were scoping out tables around the booths, in case the girl didn't go into an actual booth.

Looking back, Yami would agree that upon opening the eighth set of drapes, he was ushering in a new level of insanity...

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 _Look,_ _don't_ _do_ _anything_ _foolish...if_ _you_ _kill_ _me,_ _you kill_ _you._

 _Better_ _than_ _living_ _in_ _this_ _hell_ _with_ _you_ _in_ _my_ _head._ _I_ _haven't_ _been able_ _to_ _eat_ _or_ _sleep_ _since_ _you_ _have_ _been_ _in_ _me!_

The drapes flew open, and she saw Yami...and Seto and Joey and Yugi and the brown haired guy.

And that is when she jabbed the dagger in her neck, slicing across her throat, blood spilling...and the blade shattering...the screams of hundreds of souls being released in a cacophony of hell.

Chapter 15: Chaos Created

Yami reached out, trying to grab the dagger. Hand falling through the empty air, Yami gaped at Ravyn's lifeless body. "Shit, mindslips, Seto, now!"

Seto nodded turning and heading to the exit. Joey followed Seto, confused. Seto went to the front of the club. Luckily, the death was quiet, and in the booth, which concealed most, but it was still a death. Someone could see, someone could say...something...and then he has to deal with the human paparazzi and government. Seto made it a point to never deal with the human paparazzi and government. Luckily, Yami agreed with him on this point. Some other vampires appeared in the shadows, awaiting Seto's command.

Yami quickly put his fingers to Ravyn's throat. She was dead, he couldn't even try to turn her. Yugi sat in the booth, pulling the curtain closed. "What happened here, Yami? What the hell is going on?"

Yami shook his head. "I don't know." Looking up at Yugi, he frowned. "Could you go get Red and Akeifa?" Yugi nodded, kissing Yami. "I'll be back soon, Love. Uh, which rooms are they in?"

Yami told him and Yugi hurried out, heading for Red's room. Banging on the door, Allea opened it rather quickly, tying a robe around her waist. "Please, we need you and Red in the club, now. A woman's been killed by Exodia!" Allea nodded.

"Of course, where?"

"Uh..." counting in his head, he stated, "Booth eight from the right."

"Right." Allea nodded again, closing the door and getting Red up and dressed in record time.

Yugi then went to the room described as Ryou's. Knocking on the door, he was greeted with a "Piss off! I'm sleeping!"

"Please, Exodia is in the club!" Yugi cut straight to the chase.

"Fuck." The door opened, Akeifa standing there buck naked with bunny slippers on. "Let's go."

"Uh...perhaps pants, Key?" Ryou stepped out zipping up his jeans. He grabbed a pair of silk pajama pants and threw them at Akeifa who caught them. Sliding them on, he kicked off the bunny slippers, Ryou pulling a shirt on over his head as they headed out.

Following Yugi, they both went through the club to the booth. Akeifa grabbed a beer on the way, taking a swig. Walking into the booth, he sighed. "For fuck's sake, this isn't an Exodia kill. The blade isn't here. I fuckin' got up for this?" He took out a cigarette and lit it.

Allea and Red came into the booth then, closing the curtain behind them. Allea looked at the body, confused, looking to Red. "What just happened?"

Yami recounted what he knew, ending with the blade shattering and the screams of hundreds of souls.

The cigarette fell from Akeifa's lips. Akeifa and Red shared a glance, unreadable to all, even Allea.

"This is fucking bad...really fucking bad. Get her fucking body outta here now! We have to burn her!" Yami reached for her body. Just as his hand touched her, her body flew up in the air, eyes opening into a swirling vortex of ice blue and black as tendrils of smoke seemed to suck back into her body. She then vanished.

Akeifa sighed heavily. Red had picked up Allea in a protective pose. "Fuck me boys and girls. You have just witnessed the creation of a chaos demon."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Come to me..." the blond vampire purred. "It is finally done."

"Yes...and I love it...I control them...I control them all..." Ravyn's voice sounded as of silk as she smiled at Mai. "But won't this..." she ran her hands over her chest and waist..."make me easier to spot?"

"Oh dear, we will destroy this body. That is one of the first things to be done. But it's okay...you have as many lives as souls within you to feed from."

Ravyn smiled sinfully. "Well, good. Then let's get this body destroyed. How do I do that?"

Maelstrom smiled at her. "Concentrate, find the body you want. Discard this body as you touch the next. Force yourself to jump into their body, which will destroy their soul as your soul is poison to a living body. Your problem, dear, is that you can only jump into a human."

Ravyn pouted. "Why? You jumped into a vampire's body. Why can't I?" "Because, my gift is to jump into any body, and I can split my soul into two. Every

demon has a special gift sweetheart...so do not worry on that. You will find yours." Maelstrom petted Ravyn's hair.

"How many souls do I have?" Ravyn looked to Maelstrom. "Five hundred and four."

Ravyn smiled. "How many do you have, Mistress?"

"I have six hundred and sixty left. I originally had nine hundred and ninety." Maelstrom smiled.

"Can we go collect more? Where is Exodia?" Ravyn licked her lips.

"I am sorry dear, but Exodia is no more, and that was the last soul catching artifact. But over a thousand lives between us should be plenty to give us time to complete my plan and rule them all." Maelstrom smiled, pulling Ravyn to her in a kiss, tongue sliding over tongue. "I have to have Yugi. He is our downfall. But I must also have Red... he is my obsession. Do you have an obsession, lover?"

Ravyn smiled evilly. "I have always wanted Seto."...

Chapter 16: Decisions

"What do we do?" Yami paced in his room, which was starting to feel like a prison. He really needed to ask the ninjas to go through this place with a fine toothed comb.

"Well, we're about evenly fucked now." Akeifa said, lighting yet another cigarette. Ryou looked at Akeifa, frowning. "Key, not now."

"Why not now, Lock? We are fucked. Now we have two chaos demons after us. Who knows what this crazy bitch has against us? Maelstrom has a hardon for Red and Yugi. And now Ravyn? We don't know anything about this bitch." He took a deep drag. Ryou knew that Akeifa had to be worried to slip out the nickname and not even realize it. Akeifa liked to act all bad, tough, and scary...and he was, Ryou didn't deny that...but Akeifa had a so side that he didn't want anyone to know about.

Allea looked from one to the other. "But, we have something neither of those two have."

"If you say each other, I will stab you in the eye with this cig." Akeifa glared at Allea, who sighed and shook her head. Red advanced on Akeifa. Akeifa puffed up. "C'mon, big boy, let's see what you got you big bad prick."

Red lunged at Akeifa. Seto coolly stepped back, pulling Joey behind him. Joey growled, pressing against Seto, wanting to get in the fight. Yami literally had to sit on Yugi to stop him..but Yugi did get ahold of Ryou's ankle and pull him to safety.

A dark silvery black mass wound around Akeifa and slammed at Red, slamming him against the wall. Red dove forward, eyes turning into red flames as he pile drove Akeifa into the ground. Akeifa picked up a chair, slamming it into Red's back. Red smirked and grabbed Akeifa by the arm, squeezing, then snapping an arm out of socket.

Akeifa laughed. Yami frowned as he watched more furniture get destroyed.

Suddenly a bright blue light formed a circle, encasing each in a circle of light. Allea stepped between the two, looking angry, blue light coming from the palms of her hands, hair flowing backward from the wind created by the power of her light. "Both of you, stop! This is ridiculous! Red, you _know_ Akeifa is an infantile egomaniac! And you..." she turned to Akeifa "...you know better than to pull that stupid shit. You know how his rage builds with restraint. To pick a fight by insulting me? That's low even for you, Akeifa." Looking between the two, she stopped. "I am going to release you two. Don't make me regret that decision, and don't make me chain either of you.

Because, if either of you had hurt the mortals in this room..." she looked between Yugi, Joey, and Ryou..."neither Heaven nor Hell would have accepted the remains of either of you." She released the light, the room going back to dim. Akeifa huffed and went to a wall, leaning on it. Ryou rushed over, checking for wounds. Akeifa shrugged him off. Red glared at Allea as she ignored the glare, looking over his body as well.

When she was satisfied he wasn't hurt too badly, she turned back to the room. "What I was gong to say is that we have two demons, two vampires, two wereleopards, an angel and a spellcaster. We should be able to figure something out."

"Yea, we have that, but she has something worse." Akeifa mumbled. "What?" Allea asked.

Akeifa, for the first time, seemed unable to speak. He kept staring at a small fray in the carpet on the floor.

Red leaned down, mumbling something. The floor moved, the walls shook, and all thought a small earthquake had occurred. Allea's eyes opened slightly, and then she sighed.

Looking up to the others in the room, she sighed. "Red stated that since Yugi, Ryou, and Joey are mortals, and I am a fallen angel, so technically a "mortal" if you look at it on the playing field of angels and demons, she has something precious to take from all of us here. And that doesn't even count the baby."

Joey scratched his head. "A'right, I know I'm slow, but...esplain for me please?" He looked to Seto.

Seto sighed, rolling his eyes. "Mutt, what she is saying, is she can much easier kill you, Yugi, Ryou or Allea than the rest of us. And that makes you four a liability to us, because..." Seto stopped, swallowing a bit harder than normal, "we are scared to lose you all."

Joey's eyes widened in surprise. Swallowing hard himself at Seto's extreme show of emotion in front of others, well, for Seto, he just looked down.

Yugi looked up. "So you are telling me that even though we are were or magical, we are still not even close to being on a level playing field?"

Allea frowned. "Unfortunately, that is true. We are all supernatural beings, but even among supernatural beings, there is a hierarchy. Full angels and demons are most powerful, followed by vampires. That first level is because it is very hard to be killed. Then you go to the next level down, which is the rest of the supernatural creatures, including us. And then you go down to true mere mortals, who have no supernatural abilities at all."

Yugi got up, determined. "I'm not going to be Yami's Achilles Heel." He turned to Yugi, determination in his eyes. "Turn me."

Yami's mouth dropped open. "Yugi, this is not something to take light

..."

"I am not taking this lightly! I have been thinking about it ever since I remembered our history. I don't want to lose you...I _can't_ lose you. Doesn't your damn thick head get it? I am nothing without you...if you die, I die. "

The room was silent. All eyes were on the tri colored doppelgangers. "There are negative consequences, and side ef-"

"I. DON'T. FUCKING. CARE. Nothing is more negative or worse than a life without you." Yugi's eyes held tears as he quit yelling. In a whisper, he looked to Yami. "Please, turn me, let me help you, and let me spend eternity with you."

Yami held Yugi's eyes. With a shaky breath, "Everyone, out. We will meet here in two days time. Do what you need to in that time. Honda will keep the increase security."

All filed out. Yami looked at Yugi. "I will do as you ask, as long as you listen to what I have to say first."

Yugi nodded.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey looked at Seto as the door was closed. "So, do I need ta lay on da bed, or what? An' should we have Sienna keep Joto for da night?" Joey was stripping o his shirt.

Seto looked at Joey as if he had grown two heads. "What are you talking about, Mutt?"

"Well, ya gonna turn me, so jes' trying to figure out how to go about this." Joey smiled a crooked smile at Seto.

Seto raised an eyebrow. "I am _not_ turning you." Joey immediately became angry. "Why da hell not?"

Seto looked at him. "The pain is unbearable. You are a homicidal maniac for the first month, at least, and I am not condemning your soul to hell. You and our daughter deserve to have one father she will see in the afterlife." He concluded softly.

Joey's anger fizzled out immediately. Walking up to Seto, he took Seto's head into his rough hands. "Seto, I don' pretend to be smart. But I know dis. You gotta soul, and so do I. Otherwise, ya wouldn't care what I did, where I went, or what Joto thought. And, Joto wants her dads happy forever, even if she can't see us. Just like we want her happy, even if we can't see her."

Seto's ice cold cobalt eyes closed, a tear slipping from one. "I just don't want to mess up. Not with you. You are the one person I never want to hurt."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() "You are not fuckin' bloodsucker."

"I never said I was Lock. I have an idea for me, because I'm a spellcaster." Ryou ran his hand down Akeifa's face.

"And you're not gonna tell me right now, are you?" He ground his teeth in frustration. "No, not until I am sure it will work."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() "That was stupid, and you know it."

"No, what is stupid is you staying with me when it makes you a target for that bitch." Red stripped off his shirt, showing his muscles and light dusting of hair across his chest. He laid down.

Allea laid down, putting her head on his chest, running a hand through the light patch of black hair on his chest. "Everybody dies sometime. I was dead before I found you...I just now have started living." She leaned up, hair cascading onto his face and chest. "I love you. I am not leaving you without a fight." Gently she leaned down and kissed him. He curled his hands around her in a protective embrace.

"I will never leave you. You are my _hikari_." Allea looked up. "I am your what?" she crinkled her nose in confusion.

"My light, through the darkness that has been my life."

Chapter 17: Undead Education

Yami sat down at the table, gesturing for Yugi to do the same in the other chair. Suddenly, he scowled, looking up and to the left. Yugi could tell he was having a mental argument with ... someone. Yugi sat there patiently. Yami smirked. Yugi could tell Yami had won the argument.

"So..." Yugi started.

The door opened, Seto scowling as he walked in, Joey following confused, without a shirt on. "What, no chairs for the lecture?" Seto snapped.

Yami simply smiled. He stood. "You can have mine." he said sweetly. Seto scoffed and went over to the bed, sitting down. Joey sat down next to him, wisely remaining silent.

"Now, I thought perhaps we could all talk about what it means to turn, what it means to be the Sire, good points, and bad. You both need to fully understand the advantages and disadvantages before determining this...as the result is irreversible."

"No matter what Hollywood says." Seto sneered.

Yami sighed, slinging a sideways glance at Seto. "I forgot how _pleasant_ you were when you got worked up about something. Seto, this is Joey's decision. But this is also yours."

Joey wrinkled his nose, looking confused. Again, the tension was high, so he kept quiet. Yugi was being the good boy, patiently waiting for Yami to quit bickering with Seto. Seto crossed his arms, looking perturbed...or constipated...it was hard to tell sometimes with Seto.

Yami sighed, sitting down. Looking at Yugi and Joey, he began.

"First, you both need to know tht the turning process is excruciatingly painful. Some do not make it. Albeit, that is very few, but still...it is a possibility. And if you do not make it...we cannot bring you back, not even with a resurrection spell. That is a true death."

Staring at Yugi, he saw amethyst shine with concentration and attention. Looking to Seto and Joey, Seto was coldly staring at Yami. Joey swallowed hard.

"If you do turn, the first month to six months will be filled with nothing but the thirst for blood. You will kill anything…anything..." he looked pointedly at Joey, "to get blood. Including babies and lovers. Seto and I will have to take you into seclusion until you control the thirst…and some never do, and must meet the Final Death."

Looking to make sure he still had everyone's attention. Unsurprisingly, he did. "After turning, you can't be out in sunlight. You will have superhuman strength, sight, hearing, reflexes. However, a stake to the heart will kill you...until you are 2,000 years old. A beheading and burning the body sends you to the Final Death. You

don't come back from the Final Death." Yami's face was as serious as Yugi had ever seen it.

"Every vampire has basic powers, and some powers that are "special" or only able to be mastered by certain vampires. For example after turning you will be able to telepathically communicate with any other vampire. However, it's much like a communication, you can't read their mind without them allowing you to. You can, however, read all human minds...usually." He stared at Yugi, who smiled happily.

"Uh wha's the special powers?" Joey asked...

"Well, some are gifted with flight, others with transformation, invisibility...there are various. You would just have to see your gifts."

"Now, as to Sires. A sire is someone who has turned you. I am Seto's sire. Seto is Mokuba's sire. Once you are turned, you are bound to your Sire. Your lifeline is also bound to your Sire. If your sire dies, you die."

Joey's mouth hung open. "So ya tellin' me dat if someone's ta kill ya…all da vamps are gone?"

Yami's mouth held a grim line. "Yes." "Whoa."

"Also, if your sire commands you to do something, you _must_ do it. It is not an option. Instinct will kick in and take over. For example, if I commanded Seto to kill Mokuba...he would have to."

Seto looked extremely uncomfortable. Yugi and Joey both looked down, rubbing the backs of their necks.

"You will also feel intense emotions from your sire. It is not always the most...pleasant of feelings."'

Seto coughed and rolled his eyes. "You're telling me." Yami glared at Seto. "Care to give an example?" Seto looked at Yami. "No."

"Fine." Yami stated. "I will. When Seto fused with Joey and had those intense sexual feelings and love feelings...Mokuba did too."

Yugi's eyes got huge. "Are you saying that if the emotion is strong enough, it will transfer to your...whatevers...and so, basically, like...Mokuba had a boner for Joey?" Joey looked like he vaguely wanted to vomit.

"Fledgling. That is exactly what I am saying. Which also means that Seto wanted to fuck you into the middle of next week that time you danced, Yugi."

Seto stared at a very interesting spot on the wall. Yugi turned every shade of red within a matter of 4.2 seconds. Joey looked like he wanted to die.

"That is something you also have to have control over. That mastery also takes time."

"If a fledgling is killed, the Sire may feel it, depending on how many fledglings he has...but it does not kill him. Sires can also have human servants. Human servants still have their humanity, albeit a longer humanity, but are tied to the sire. A human servant is very useful to sires, as they can go out and actually let the vampire see through their eyes. They do need to stay close to their sire, and often want blood taken from them as a way to strengthen the bond with their sire. Honda is one of my human servants."

Yugi glared, but said nothing.

"It is said that when the Final Death comes, you cease to be. Your soul died at your human death, so we walk without a soul as vampires. That would explain why killing and some other things that must be done are easier to be done by vampires. So when the vampire is destroyed, there is no more. This is a big issue, especially if you believe in some religions, or pretty much even just the afterlife...because, affer this life, there isn't one." Yami's tone was solemn. Yugi knew that this issue was a major issue for Yami...one he struggled with and he didn't want to damn Yugi to his same fate.

Yami sighed. "That is all I can think of, but of course it is not an exhaustive list. Any questions right now?"

The room was silent. "I suggest you both think carefully about your decisions. This life is not easy, and it is hard to learn control, but it can be done."

Seto stood and walked out, not looking back. Joey jumped up and followed him, like a puppy. Yami looked to Yugi. "I have one more thing for you to consider, Aibou..." Crimson held amethyst, concern showing through them.

Gripping Yugi's hand, stroking Yugi's knuckles with his thumb, Yami sighed. Looking directly at Yugi, he asked, "Will your prowl accept a vampire as their Alpha? And if not, are you truly willing to cut ties with them?"

Chapter 18: Repercussions

Yugi looked at Yami. Swallowing, he sighed and put Yami's hand over Yugi's heart, holding it in place. "We have protocols for if I die, and for if Joey dies. If they do not accept me, they will have to follow the protocol. Because, Yami...you just don't seem to get it...They are my family, and I love them, and I need to protect them. I want them to continue to love me. But, just like other families, if they choose to break away from me, that's what happens. Families can grow apart. I will always love them. I will always protect them...I can protect them even as a vampire. I have to look at my needs, my future, and my life... And you...you are my life."

Yami looked at those amethyst eyes that held his whole world. His chest tight, he leaned in, kissing Yugi gently. Putting his hand to Yugi's cheek, cupping it softly, he lingered over Yugi's lips. "Can you get your affairs in order by tomorrow night, because we need to leave as soon as possible."

Yugi smiled. "Yes."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Seto walked in, sitting down at his desk in his office. Pushing the power button on, he sighed. _Joey_ _cannot_ _do_ _this. I_ _cannot_ _do_ _this_ _to_ _him._ _What if_ _he_ _doesn't_ _make_ _it?_ _What_ _do_ _I_ _do if_ _he_ _..._

The young redhead flittered through Seto's mind. Those lifeless blue eyes...

 _"Seto, please!"_ _"No."_

 _"But_ _Big_ _Brother,_ _I_ _love_ _her!"_ _Mokuba_ _looked_ _up,_ _eyes_ _sad._ _"Then_ _go_ _talk_ _to_ _Yami._ _I told_ _you_ _Mokuba,_ _I_ _won't_ _sire_ _her."_ _"Why?"_

 _"I_ _have_ _my_ _reasons."_

 _"What,_ _do_ _you_ _want_ _me_ _to_ _be_ _alone_ _forever?"_ _Tears_ _spilled_ _up_ _around_ _Mokuba's_ _eyes._

 _Seto_ _looked_ _down._ _Swallowing_ _the_ _lump_ _that_ _formed_ _in his_ _throat,_ _he_ _finally_ _relented._ _"Okay._ _Bring_ _Carissa to_ _me."_

 _"Oh,_ _thank_ _you_ _Big_ _Brother!"_

 _The_ _elder_ _brother_ _looked_ _on_ _as_ _the_ _younger_ _ran_ _from_ _his_ _sight._

 _Mokuba_ _took_ _Seto_ _seriously._ _He_ _was_ _back,_ _carrying_ _the_ _red_ _headed nymph_ _in his_ _arms_ _within five_ _minutes._ _Seto_ _looked_ _to_ _Carissa._ _"Has_ _Mokuba_ _talked_ _to_ _you about_ _this,_ _Carissa?"_

 _She_ _looked_ _up,_ _smiling_ _at_ _Seto feebly._ _"Yes…yes,_ _he_ _has._ _And…I_ _love_ _him,_ _Seto._ _I_ _do. I_ _don't want_ _to_ _leave_ _him_ _alone."_ _She_ _coughed,_ _mucous_ _rattling_ _in_ _her_ _chest._

 _He_ _looked_ _at_ _the_ _two_ _of_ _them,_ _Mokuba_ _and_ _Carissa._ _The_ _two_ _had_ _known each_ _other_ _for twenty_ _five_ _years; been_ _lovers_ _for_ _twenty._ _She_ _knew_ _he_ _was_ _a_ _vampire_ _and_ _didn't_ _care...she_ _always played_ _off his_ _youthful appearance_ _as_ _"good genes"_ _and that_ _she_ _was_ _a_ _forty_ _year_ _old_ _cougar when questioned_ _by_ _others._ _She_ _didn't_ _care_ _to_ _be_ _bound_ _to_ _the_ _night_ _to_ _be_ _with_ _him._ _She loved_ _him,_ _good_ _and bad._ _Mokuba had_ _never_ _been_ _so_ _happy._

 _Seto_ _nodded. "Right." Bending_ _over,_ _he_ _took Carissa_ _gently_ _in his_ _arms._ _"Remember,_ _I_ _have_ _to_ _get_ _my_ _vitae in_ _you_ _moments_ _after_ _you_ _die._ _I_ _am_ _sorry,_ _but_ _this_ _will_ _hurt."_

 _She_ _nodded_ _bravely._ _Smiling_ _at_ _Mokuba,_ _she_ _took_ _his hand._ _Seto_ _took_ _a_ _deep breath,_ _exhaling,_ _and_ _bit_ _her_ _neck._ _Drinking deeply,_ _he_ _quickly_ _drained_ _her._ _Once_ _she_ _was_ _dry, he_ _ripped open_ _his_ _wrist_ _and_ _forced_ _the_ _blood_ _to_ _flow_ _into_ _her_ _mouth._ _She_ _didn't_ _respond._

 _She_ _should've_ _responded._ _Why_ _wasn't_ _she_ _responding?_

 _He_ _poured_ _more_ _in._ _Still_ _no_ _response._ _Yami_ _had_ _rushed_ _in_ _then._

 _Finally,_ _Yami_ _put a_ _hand_ _on_ _Seto's wrist,_ _shaking_ _his_ _head_ _sadly._ _She_ _was_ _one_ _of_ _the_ _few who_ _couldn't_ _be_ _turned. Probably_ _because_ _the_ _cancer_ _was_ _too_ _far_ _gone._ _Her_ _lifeless blue_ _eyes_ _stared_ _up_ _at_ _the_ _ceiling._

 _It was_ _at_ _that_ _point_ _Mokuba found_ _out_ _his big_ _brother_ _couldn't_ _do_ _everything._ _It was_ _at_ _that_ _point_ _Mokuba found_ _out_ _his big_ _brother_ _was a_ _murderer._

Joey walked in, holding Joto. Seto snapped out of his reverie. Looking at Joey, his chest hurt again. No, Joey was not turning.

Joey looked at Seto and smiled. Handing Joto to Seto, he sat down. Seto looked at the baby as she smiled at him, big blue eyes shining. She held up her hands. He smiled at her, running a finger over her chin, letting her grab his finger. Which she immediately stuck in her mouth. He smiled.

"So, uh...I tink we should leave Joto wit' Mokuba...he's da safest. We'll be back in a month..two tops."

Seto jerked his head to Joey. "I am not turning you."

Joey's eyes hardened. "Look, I know ya used to getting ya way, but dis is _my_ decision, not yours! And I wanna be here wit' ya, forever...you die...I die. I survived lotsa stuff, I can survive dis."

Seto glared at Joey. "I. Am. Not. Becoming. Your. Sire." He walked out with Joto.

"Hey!" Joey ran out after Seto, but he was gone. Joey headed down to the room, but couldn't find Seto or Joto there. Walking to the club, he saw Mokuba. "Hey...Mokie, ya seen Seto?"

"Hey, Joey!" Looking around, Mokuba looked at Joey. "Nope, he's not here, and I haven't seen him." Mokuba looked at Joey's serious face. "You guys fight again?"

"Yea, kinda. He won't sire me." Joey looked frustrated.

Mokuba's eyes widened, then he looked down, looking sad. "That's because of me."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Hey, Sasuke, did you check the rest of the club?" Naruto was packing up his bag.

"Yes, Naruto. No other cameras, and two traps disabled. Can we leave now?" Sasuke looked bored.

"Yea, sure. Yami already paid us, even though I argued with him again. Here's your cut." Naruto tossed a bag to Sasuke. Sasuke put it in his pouch, not even looking at it.

"Where are the girls?" Naruto looked around.

Sasuke immediately became tense. "They should be here by now."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Why would the guys want to meet us out here?" Sakura looked around, Hinata at her side.

"I don't know...for some fresh air?" Hinata whispered, pointer fingers touching.

"You four have interefered in my plans for the last time..." a menacing voice stated from behind them...

Chapter 19: Destruction()()WARNING, DARK TRIGGERS HERE. DON'T LIKE/SENSITIVE/UNDERAGE DON'T READ. I NEVER SAID MAELSTROM WAS NICE.()()

Sakura and Hinata turned to the voice. Standing behind them, with about four other figures, was a large, at least seven foot tall, grey skinned man with strips of black and strips of green long, stringy hair. "My Mistress is tired of you ninjas. She wants to send a message." Motioning to the four behind him, he motioned them forward.

"Two man formation!" Sakura yelled as she and Hinata went back to back, kunai in each hand. The men approached. Fists flew from the men, Sakura and Hinata fighting back.

"Byakugan!" Hinata yelled, looking around. "None of them have chakra!" she informed Sakura.

"Right!" Sakura turned, narrowly missing a fist. Slamming her fist into the ground, giant canyons erupted from her fist, shattering the earth in front of her. The men slipped and fell, two falling into the canyons, the other two managing to remain on their feet.

Regaining their footing, the men went right back after Sakura and Hinata. The grey skinned man stood in the back watching.

After fifteen minutes of watching the fighting, he stepped forward. Closing his eyes and chanting, a greenish black mist came from his hands. Snaking along the ground, the mist gripped Hinata's leg, throwing her to the ground. "Hinata!" Sakura screamed, punching the man's face, running for Hinata.

A swath of green grabbed Sakura's knee, snapping it painfully. Sakura screamed, as Hinata struggled against the wisp. "Gentle Fist!" Hinata screamed, hitting at the mist. Realizing that this new threat wasn't chakra either, she stood, even though the mist was wrapping around her leg. "Eight trigram, sixty-four palm!" She stated, spinning exceedingly fast...

"No!" Sakura screamed, realizing what Hinata was doing. The smokey mist started funneling away from Sakura as Hinata's mist snaked up further on her as her rotation created a tornado. As she ran, dragging her broken knee behind her, something hit her from behind, engulfing her world in darkness.

Hinata slowed her spin as the funnel completely wound her up and she fell over, cocooned in the mist. The grey skinned man walked over to her immobilized form. "Ya know, Mistress said to hurt ya, really bad. I think I know how to do that." Motioning to the two men behind Sakura, he turned back to Hinata. "You're really pretty, so this should be fun." Hinata's eyes widened as he walked up to her.

"I'll show you what pleasure really is...that blonde... _boy_...can't fulfill you." The mist covered her mouth before she could scream. "I'd really like to hear you moan my name, but I can't afford for anyone to hear...at least until my parallel pocket spell is finished being created." Turning from her, he saw the two men kicking and punching Sakura's unconscious form. Smiling, he turned back. Closing his eyes to perform the ritual, he held Hinata down. Snapping his eyes open, he turned to the two men. "Bring her too, we are going in the pocket."

A shimmery rip appeared in the air in front of the men. Smirking, they stepped into the rift right as Naruto and Sasuke turned the corner.

Naruto and Sasuke ran as the men disappeared with the women...kunai flying through empty air...

The grey man looked at the dark haired woman still held in the wisps. He pulled the wisp from her mouth as she stared proudly, but silently at him. "Now...back to moaning my name...it's Zorc." he smirked, saliva dripping from his mouth as he ripped Hinata's clothing from her. Smirking, he undid his pants. Leaning over her, rancid breath on her face, he smiled. "You can thank me later." As he thrust himself in her, ripping her painfully, a tear fell shamefully from her eye, but she said not one word as he thrust over and over again.

Hinata turned her head and saw Sakura, unconscious. She then saw the two men staring at them, a look of disgust on their faces. Hinata closed her eyes, taking her from this place as Zorc continued his destruction.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"I'm gonna go find him. It's not ya, Mokuba. It's me...sumptin about me." Joey's eyes hardened. Stomping out before Mokuba could say anything, Mokuba looked after Joey. _Big_ _Brother,_ _Joey_ _is_ _coming_ _to_ _find_ _you._ _Please_ _talk_ _to_ _him._ _He's not_ _Carissa...if_ _he_ _wants_ _to_ _be_ _turned,_ _turn_ _him._

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey stomped out, looking for Seto. After traveling aimlessly for about five minutes, he stopped, his anger petering out. Sitting down, he tried to think...which he knew was not his strong suit. _Where are_ _ya,_ _Seto...where?_

Sighing deeply, he didn't notice when someone stepped in front of him...he was lost in his own thoughts.

"Hon...Joey, isn't it?" The smooth voice broke through his thoughts.

Joey looked up, seeing the familiar blonde female. "Hey...uh..." he wracked his brain for a name..."Mai, right?"

She smiled, looking at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nuttin'...jus' trying to find someone." Joey shook his head angrily.

"Who are you trying to find?" she purred. "Seto." Joey's eyes darkened.

Mai leaned down in front of him. "I have known Seto for awhile, I can probably help ya, hon." She held out a hand.

"Tanks." Joey said gratefully. "I'd really...nyeh! Whatcha doin?" Joey yelled as she moved and sunk her fangs into his neck.

Joey fought as hard as he could, but he was no match for Mai's strength. As a last ditch effort, he opened his link, hoping Seto would find him, as pain and burning ran through his body. He screamed, his body afire in pain. He just wanted it all to end...finally, blissfully, he sank into darkness, as a cold weakness came over him...

Drinking the last drop, Mai savagely ripped her wrist open, dripping her vitae in Joey's lifeless mouth. After a few seconds, she saw a tongue start lapping up the vitae. Holding Joey's head to her wrist, she smirked. Joey's once honey eyes opened, shining red. Staring savagely up at Mai, he whined as she pulled her wrist from him, holding him firmly. "I want more." he growled.

She smiled. "Good, my pet...we will quench your thirst...together." Smirking, she drug him off as he wildly looked around, whining and pulling against his sire, searching for blood. "You can call me Mistress, or Maelstrom, whichever you prefer."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Seto stopped, eyes snapping open. Joey was in trouble! He ran, holding Joto tight. _Joey, I'm_ _coming!_ He ran at lightning speed, but couldn't find Joey. _Yami,_ _get_ _here_ _now,_ _we_ _have_ _problems!_

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami pulled back from Yugi. "Aibou, we have to go, now. Joey is in trouble." Yugi transformed, running out the door as Yami passed him, grabbing Yugi and putting his paws on his shoulders. "Hang on Aibou, I am faster than you!" Rushing, he reached Seto in a matter of seconds. "Seto, where is Joey?" Yami asked, setting Yugi down.

Seto actually looked...frantic.

"I don't know!" Seto growled in frustration, holding Joto. Yugi turned, searching, sniffing, until he found Joey.

"This way!" Yugi ran, the two vampires running after him. After turning a couple corners, they all skidded to a stop.

"Mai!" Yami yelled, relieved to see one of his oldest friends...and that she had Joey. The blonde turned around.

 _Shit_. Maelstrom thought. She didn't want her cover blown already, but she saw no other option. Turning to look at them, she smirked evilly. "I'll leave you two to clean this up." Throwing Joey toward them, Yami and Seto eyes opened wide.

Seto handed Joto to Yugi. "Take her and run!" As Joey's eyes lighted upon the baby, a malicious grin spread on his face.

"Blood." Joey advanced. Yugi turned and ran with Joto.

Yami and Seto looked at each other. Fanning out, they looked at Joey. A newborn vampire was very, very dangerous. Why would Mai turn him and then run off?

Unless...

Cautiously, Yami looked at Joey. "Joey, who turned you?" Joey laughed hellaciously. "My sire is Maelstrom."

 _But_ _Maelstrom_ _isn't a_ _..._ Seto and Yami raised their heads knowingly, a sad look on Yami's face. "Good bye old friend." Seto whispered.

"Joey..." Seto held out a hand.

"I wan' blood...and I know where ta get some, sweeter den candy." Joey's eyes hardened and an evil glint lit into them as he headed for the woods.

Chapter 20: Bottled Rage

"Nooooo!" Naruto yelled as his kunai went through empty air.

Sasuke ran, chidori in hand getting bigger as he ran, face stoic. As he tried to impale the men holding Sakura, they disappeared, his chidori exploding into the ground and sending chunks of earth harmlessly through air.

Sasuke stood, looking quickly, sharingans active. Naruto was right next to him, breathing heavy, teeth elongating and sharpening somewhat, his eyes becoming orangish red with his black pupils slitted and an orangish hue radiating from him.

"Where are they?!" Naruto screamed, whipping around in a circle, searching. Orange chakra radiated from him, his body trembling in rage.

Seeing that the girls were no where to be found, Sasuke stood. "Naruto, we need to find Yami." Naruto kept pacing, snarling, looking...he wished Yugito was still here to help track the girls, but Yugito insisted on leaving as soon as she delivered Ji-Jin...

"Naruto! You losing control won't help Hinata. Let's go." At the mention of her name, Naruto seemed to grow angry, but focus on Sasuke.

"Right." The ninjas ran back to The Pyramid, searching for Yami.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Where is he going?" Yami asked as he ran after Joey, Seto right beside him. Newborns were exceedingly fast, but being the first and third...no, second, Yami sighed sadly, thinking of his friend...being the first and second oldest vampires gave them the advantages of speed, stamina, and clear thinking...but they were still behind the ravenous newborn vampire.

"Oh Ra, no!" Seto's eyes widened. "The Orphanage!"

Yami's eyes widened, as a bead of sweat fell from his brow. Both vampires increased their speed.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 _Blood._ _Blood. Blood...sweet_ _blood._

Crimson eyes searched out that smell...that sweet, beautiful smell...

 _There!_ _Right_ _in_ _front_ _of_ _me!_

Joey stopped in front of the large buiding. The clean white building had bushes and flowers in front of it, with benches in the yard. To the side was a large playground with woodchips, two slides, a jungle gym, two sets of swings, a zipline, and a hanging bar. The sign above the door said simply "Sy's Home for Children".

Smirking, Joey silently went around the door, creeping down the hall. Hearing

snoring, he turned to a pretty pink wooden door with flowers on it. Pushing open the door, his smirk increased...he found a buffet!

Judging by the looks of this room, he had found the 3-5 year old girls wing. Silently moving to the first bed, he saw a little curly red mop of hair on top of a pillow.

Clutched in a pudgy little right arm was a kitty doll. The left arm was crooked, thumb in her mouth. Silently, Joey picked up the child, who yawned, but didn't waken.

Quickly Joey sunk his teeth and drank...so quickly, the little one did not even have a chance to wake up from her dream. The kitty fell to the ground, drops of blood following as Joey haphazardly threw the body to the side. Hungrily, he moved to the next victim.

"Damnit!" Seto whispered as he grabbed Joey around the shoulders, swinging him around, catching Joey's glare. Joey's eyes glazed over and his body became limp. Seto picked him up, carrying him outside, leaving Yami to clean up the aftermath.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Back at The Pyramid, Seto finished binding Joey in a coffin in his room. Turning, he saw Yami looking at him, eyes blazing.

Seto looked, unemotionally at Yami.

"You. Get your shit together. I am tired of cleaning up your messes." Yami said, trembling, rage barely kept in check

" _My_ mess? I don't see how this is my mess...I didn't turn him." Seto responded coolly.

"Precisely you thickheaded imbecile!" Yami turned upon hearing Yugi come in with Joto. "Don't go near the coffin, Yugi."

Yugi nodded, watching the scene in front of him. Joto was sleeping, sucking on a pacifier with a little dragon hanging off the handle by a blue ribbon.

Swinging back on Seto, Yami exploded. "I am so _sick_ of this inadequacy complex you have! You are the reason this happened. If you would have agreed to turn him, we wouldn't be in this situation! You two wouldn't have fought, he wouldn't have left, and then he wouldn't have been turned by Maelstrom!" Fists at his sides, Yami was trembling, eyes redder with rage.

Seto glared at Yami. "You don't have any right to presume..."

"I have _every_ right to presume what the hell I want...I am the one who had to explain why a 4 year old girl was dead! I am the one who had to tell Diana what happened...and Diana will have to lie to those children to avoid scarring them for the rest of their lives! Everyone isn't Carissa, everthing can't have the odds calculatd down to a millionth of a percent...life is about Ra-damned chances!" Yami got up in Seto's face, nose to nose.

Seto's face was red. "I can fix this!"

Yami glared at him. Scarily quiet, he looked at Seto. "I hope so." Turning away from Seto he stated, "C'mon Yugi. Bring Joto. She's not safe here." Yugi's eyes were big, and his eyes cut to Seto before going back to Yami and following Yami out.

Seto looked to Joey, whom he hadn't released his paralysm spell over yet. Joey stood in the coffin, eyes open, red as before, staring straight ahead. Seto walked up to him. Looking at Joey, he felt despair, and failure. He kept failing those he loved. Shaking his head, he went to lay on the bed.

If only there was some way to turn back time...to go back and sire Joey himself. Obviously Joey is strong enough...if only that damn vampire hadn't turned him...

Gasping, Seto sat straight up. That damn vampire _hadn't_ turned him...a demon in a vampire's body turned him. Maelstrom isn't a vampire...she was just using a vampire's body...so the venom is in Joey, but there was a chance...

Heading over to Joey, he looked at those red eyes. This would either kill Joey or fix the problem...Seto just hoped he could live with the consequences of the result.

Putting his hand on Joey's chest, he took Joey's hand, biting Joey's wrist. Sucking the vit...the blood out of Joey's body, Seto tried not to gag. The taste was horrific...it was tainted blood. Sucking the last of it out of him, Seto ripped open his arm, bleeding profusely over Joey. Watching Joey's face, he saw the eyes twitch and felt Joey clamp on his arm. As Joey continued to drink, Seto faded into blackness with the loss of the vitae.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami sat on the bed, suddenly looking much older than before. Yugi sat down next to him, Joto still sleeping. Saying nothing, Yugi laid his cheek on Yami's shoulder. Yugi knew that Yami wanted to protect innocence, and losing an innocent child must have hurt him greatly.

They sat in comfortable silence for quite sometime. Suddenly, there was a knocking on Yami's door. "Come in." he called. Sasuke and Naruto came in, looking angrier than he had ever seen before. Standing, Yami looked seriously at the two. "What is wrong, why are you all still here...I thought you would have left hours ago?"

Naruto's voice was trembling. "The girls, they're gone! Some green and black haired guy took them and they disappeared and we don't know where they are!"

Yami came straight to Naruto. "Please, take me to where you last saw them." Naruto nodded and headed out. "Yugi please stay here." Yami commanded; as they were heading out, he stopped. "Let me get Ryou...he is a spellcaster, and a healer." After a quick detour, and an extra person, as Akeifa wasn't letting Ryou go after "that psychotic son of a demon" by himself, the ninjas, Yami, Akeifa, and Ryou ran back out to where the girls were last seen. Looking around, the only thing they could see was the damage from Sakura's fist and Sasuke's chidori.

Suddenly, there was a shimmery slit in the air as Sakura and Hinata's bodies were tossed out, the slit closing immediately afterwards, before Ryou could cast a spell.

"Please, let me help heal them." Ryou stated, as the men ran to the crumpled bodies. Naruto ran, looking at Hinata, who was naked. Cuts and nasty purple patches were all over her torso and legs, and a large amount of blood was on her inner thighs. Ryou came up, kneeling by Hinata. As white mist came from his hands, the cuts started to heal, but Hinata remained unconscious. "We'll have to get her back to the infirmary so we can finish treating those wounds. However, she is safe to transport." Naruto stopped his pacing as the orange chakra continue to radiate from him. "Right."

Moving over to Sakura, Ryou started to cast the white mist over Sakura. She definitely looked worse for wear. Her right eye was purple and swollen shut so that her eye could not even be seen. Her clothing was torn, blood soaked in several places. Several cuts and slices could be seen, the cloth sticking to her in places as the blood was starting to congeal. Ryou got the bleeding to stop, but bags were forming under his eyes. "She is also safe to transport, but we need to get her to the infirmary as well. They are both severly injured." Sasuke looked Sakura over before gently picking her up and carrying her back to the infirmary.

Once back at The Pyramid, after the women had been laid in the infirmary and Ryou made sure they were set up and comfortable, Yami pulled Naruto and Sasuke aside, still inside the infirmary. "From the sounds of what you described, Akeifa believes that the women were attacked by Zorc, a lackey of Maelstrom. We also found this under Sakura's bandana." Handing a slip of paper to Naruto, he opened it, hands shaking.

 _Mind_ _your_ _own_ _business,_ _Ninjas-quit_ _poking_ _your_ _noses where_ _they_ _don't_ _belong_ _or_ _you_ _will learn_ _what_ _misery_ _truly_ _is.-Maelstrom_

Chapter 21: Rebirth

Seto's head pounded. Pain laced through his arms, up his chest, stabbing the backs of his eyes with tiny razor sharp knives. Rolling over, he could barely move...he was drained. Flopping his head back, a shadow formed over his face as he looked up into those honey brown eyes he had grown to love so well...

"Hey..." Seto croaked out.

"Hey y'self." Joey responded. "Better not move soon, ya drained."

Hadn't he just said those same words to himself? Rubbing a hand over his eyes, he dropped it quickly to his side. Looking up, he saw...honey brown eyes.

Seto's eyes closed in defeat. _It_ _hadn't_ _worked._ _If it_ _had,_ _his_ _eyes would_ _be_ _crimson_ _right_ _now..._

Struggling to get up, Joey held him down, firmly. _Damn,_ _I'm_ _weaker_ _than_ _I_ _thought_. Finally ceasing to struggle, Seto laid his head back. "I'm sorry." he whispered.

"For what?" Even with his eyes closed, Seto could hear the confusion in that Brooklyn accent.

Swallowing thickly, Seto continued. "For failing you."

"Failing me?" The tone had turned incredulous. "Uh, Yam...he don' know what he's done."

"Well, to be fair, you did almost kill him and he has been unconscious for about 8 hours now...so, it is completely plausible for Seto to be confused." _That_ baritone voice Seto would know anywhere.

Opening an eye, he looked coldly at Yami. Sitting up, despite varied protests, Seto looked around. He was in the infirmary...great. The two female ninjas were there too, lying on the beds, eyes closed. Seto assumed they were sleeping. Naruto was sitting by Hinata, holding her hand. Sasuke leaned disinterestedly against the wall, watching Seto's conversation. Both men radiated anger for some reason.

"About bloody fucking hell time the Princess woke up!" _Seriously, Akeifa_ _should_ _be_ _dropped down_ _a_ _well_ _and_ _buried._ _Forever._ Looking over, he saw Akeifa leaning over Ryou's shoulder as Ryou was filling a syringe. Actually, leaning _on_ Ryou's shoulder was a better description. Seto sighed.

"Is someone going to fill me in on what exactly happened?" Seto looked around the room.

Joey sat down, eyes serious. "Ya not gonna believe it. I don't even believe it." Handing Joto to Seto, who was now more confused...why would the baby be in a room with a newborn vampire?...he held her as she happily clapped chubby hands on his arm.

Sensing his cousin's discomfort, Yami stood in Seto's line of sight. "Cousin, Joey is a vampire."

Pulling his mouth down and rolling his eyes, Seto scoffed. "I am not in a joking mood."

Yami's voice became stern. "I am not joking. Joey is a vampire. I watched it myself. A while after leaving, after returning from some...business..." his eyes cut to the ninjas, then back to his cousin, "I heard a crash. I came back to see what happened and saw Joey rising up, letting go of your wrist, holding you...eyes blood red. As I prepared to fight him...to subdue him...his eyes blended back to their original color. He asked me what happened, holding your limp body. I assured him that you were alive, and we placed you here. I assumed that whatever you had tried to do had nullified Maelstrom's bite, and restored Joey's humanity. Joey was very...distraught, when he found out what he had done..." Joey's eyes clouded over with some emotion Seto couldn't read at the moment.

"Yea, so I wen' outside to get some air. It was daylight, but I din't think nuttin of it, since Yam' tole me that I wadn't a vampire anymore. I walked around for a cuppa hours, and finally bought a hamburger when I got hungry. Tried to eat it...got bad sick. Came back to get checked out and Ryou tole me that I can't eat nuttin but blood...cause I'm a vampire. So...ya sired me!" He smiled a lopsided smile.

"What you say doesn't make sense, Joey. If you were a newborn, you can't be out in the sun, your eyes would be red, and you would still be in a bloodlust." Seto said it with finality.

Ryou interjected then, ever so quietly. "I do believe, Seto, that somehow, you have sired the first daywalker

Yugi walked in about then, standing by Yami. "Seto, it's true. All I can smell is death when I smell Joey...but it's a different kind of death...kind of a fall-leaves-dying death. When I smell you and Yami, I smell cold, musty death."

Yami looked offended. "I smell musty?"

Yugi looked embarrassed. "Yea, a little. But you are a sexy musty?"

Yami's mouth curled up in an amused frown. "I don't believe there is such a thing. Love is blinding you." He leaned over, kissing Yugi's pert little nose. Yugi's cheeks dusted rose ever so slightly.

Seto shook his head. "So...Joey's immortal now? I'm his sire? He's safe?" Ryou smiled gently. "Yes."

Seto laid back down, eyes sliding closed. _I_ _finally_ _did_ _something right._

 _Yea,_ _ya_ _did._ _Ya_ _made_ _a_ _vampire_ _mutt_. He heard Joey's chuckle as his hand was grabbed.

Seto kept a straight face at that, but squeezed his lover's hand.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami and Yugi retired to the bedroom. Sighing, Yami sat down. So much has happened in so little time. Looking over at Yami, Yugi smiled. "You have to be relieved that Joey isn't a homicidal maniac." Sitting on the bed, Yugi put his arms around Yami.

Yami smiled. "Yes, Aibou, I am pleased about that. But there is still so much to go through...and we still have to worry about what you have to go through. But...with all this happening, I do not know that I want to wait much longer." Worried crimson held confident amethyst.

Yugi smiled. "I've already talked to the Prowl. We agree that Malik...Marik...whichever he calls himself, he will lead the prowl, and the other newer bronzie will be his Enforcer, since Joey's line died out and everyone agrees that the two are bonded to each other in a crazy-tight-way. Both are loyal. I just wish they would decide which name to go by...luckily, they sound different, so when they are in our heads, we can tell the difference."

Yami smiled. "Come with me then, I am going to turn you now...I can transport you by coffin if needed. I am actually terrified to wait." His eyes shone with sincerity of his words.

Yugi nodded, face serious. "Where do you want me?"

Yami sat on the bed, patting the space next to him. Yugi sat down, smiling. "Don't worry. I'm never leaving you." Yami smiled, then his face turned serious.

"This is going to hurt, but I will do everything I can to make it pleasant for you. And I will do everything I can to keep you from doing something regrettable." Yugi nodded. Closing his eyes, he laid down, relaxing. His porcelain skin shone in the night light, a small smile on his face.

Yami sighed, focusing. His aibou looked so...precious...in the light. He ran a hand over that beautiful face that meant so much to him. If he lost Yugi...No. He wouldn't go back there...wouldn't go back to the darkness that he was for the first part of his time as a vampire. He was saving them both by making Yugi immortal. He just hoped he wasn't condemning Yugi's soul to oblivion...

Closing his eyes, Yami let out one final breath. Opening his mouth, he positioned his fangs over Yugi's tender neck. Smelling the scent of lilacs off Yugi, Yami smiled, before plunging his fangs into the porcelain. Yami started to drink deeply of that blood that tasted sweeter than anything else he had drank. His eyes started to roll back in his head at the exquisite bliss of the taste. Yugi was laying beneath him, moaning slightly, sounding like he was having a wonderful time, his voice growing

fainter as more blood le his body. Finally, jolting back to reality, Yami realized that Yugi wasn't moving, and no more blood was to be drunk.

Quickly, Yami sat up. Yugi looked paler than before, the very image of a porcelain doll. Yami quickly slit his wrist, slipping the life essence into Yugi's still lips. There was no response; in fact, the blood spilled out of Yugi's mouth. Yami squeezed more in, massaging Yugi's throat to make the vitae go down. After what felt like an hour, but in reality was less than a minute, Yugi started sucking at Yami's wrist. The feeling was...orgasmic. Probably a combination of knowing that Yugi was alive combined with the sensualness of the act, the silence of the room, and the general desire he always had around Yugi.

After Yugi quit suckling, there was a general quietness to the room. Yami didn't move, didn't breathe, waiting to see what would happen to Yugi. He was also poised, ready to grab Yugi when Yugi was fully awake and the homicidal urges took over.

Suddenly, Yugi sat up, calmly, slowly. Opening his eyes, nothing but amethyst shone from those eyes...Yami gasped...there was truly nothing but amethyst...no white, no pupils. Smiling at Yami, Yugi giggled. "I feel great, Yami."

Blinking, Yami looked at Yugi. "Aibou..." he whispered. "What is going on?"

Chapter 22: The Road Leading To...

"I have no idea, but I loooove it!" Yugi giggled, dancing in place. Eyes still nothing but amethyst, his black eyelashes danced over the amethyst orbs. Yami sat, confused, wracking his brain for any reason this could be happening.

"Aibou...could we go to the infirmary?" Yami asked cautiously, treating Yugi like a delicate but deadly flower.

"Of course, Yam... no, Atem...yes, Atem! Of course, Atem...of course!" Giggling, he stood. "Lead the way!" Taking Yami's hand, Yugi giggled again, skipping... _skipping_?!

Sighing cautiously, Yami walked him to the infirmary. Entering the infirmary, Yami saw that the ninjas were still there. Naruto looked like he hadn't slept in a week, even though it had only been about an hour since Yami and Yugi left. Seeing Yami come in with Yugi, Naruto leapt up, going to Yami. "Well? Have you found this Zorc guy yet?" Agitation was clear on his face.

Catching Ryou's eye, Yami directed Yugi to Ryou as Yami looked at Naruto. Yami noticed that Sasuke stood up from his leaning position on the wall, seemingly interested in this conversation.

"No. We know that Maelstrom has or had Mai's body, but that's all we know now. I fear that she will change bodies, as she knows that we know what body she is in." Yami noticed Seto wasn't in the infirmary anymore...much to Ryou's disapproval, probably.

"We can't just sit around, we gotta move! Can't you get any more information?!" Naruto gritted his teeth, eyes glinting in the soft light.

"I am trying, Naruto." Yami sighed. Searching out Honda, _Please, intensify_ _your_ _efforts_ _to_ _find_ _Maelstrom._ _Also,_ _could_ _you_ _start_ _looking_ _for_ _Zorc_ _as_ _well? Tell all_ _the_ _vampires,_ _and call_ _another_ _meeting._ _Things_ _are_ _becoming_ _much_ _more_ _serious._ Yami felt a tiny pang of guilt that he forgot to mention the need to search for Zorc before now. His overriding fear of losing Yugi made Yami have tunnel vision.

"Damnit! I'm going out looking!" Naruto stomped towards the door. Sasuke followed behind Naruto, silently.

Yami sighed. Turning to Ryou, his mouth twitched. Yugi was sitting on the bed, swinging his feet, looking, well... _adorable._ He was giggling and petting Ryou's hair. "Aww, you're so fluffy! Like a kitty!" Ryou looked completely flabbergasted.

"Please, Yugi, I need to evaluate your vital signs. If those are regular, I may need to cast some spells on you to figure out what is going on." Ryou was looking at Yugi's eyes with interest. "Can you see how many fingers I have up?"

Yugi giggled. "Of course, you have two fingers up. Yami has six hairs out of place, Hinata's heart is beating at the rate of sixty six beats a minute, and Sakura's is beating at seventy four."

Yami's eyes were wide. "Y...Yugi, how do you know this?" "Atem, silly, I can sense it, can't you?"

"No...I cannot." Yami whispered quietly. "Why do you use my old name? The one I gave up when I became a creature of the night?" Staring with concern, he watched Yugi.

"Because that is your name...that is who you are, not dark as the name suggests." Yugi took Yami's hand, kissing each knuckle.

Ryou looked confused at Yami. Yami shook his head, forehead wrinkled. "Why do you guys look so confused?" Yugi giggled as he kissed Yami's eye.

Yami pulled back, rubbing his eye. He smiled. "That tickled."

Yugi smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Reaching out, he moved to tickle Yami. Yami moved away, his brain still trying to figure out Yugi's unusual actions.

"Atem...Atemmy Tem..." Yugi smiled, wiggling fingers.

Yami stepped back again, tripping on Ryou. As Ryou tripped, he fell, banging his elbow hard on the concrete. Ryou cried out in pain and Yugi jumped up immediately, and went to Ryou, taking his elbow. After just a moment, Ryou gaped at Yugi. "H...how did you do that?"

Yugi smiled. "I dunno, I just always have been able to do it." Yami looked between the two. "Do what?"

Ryou looked at Yami. "He touched my elbow, and it quit hurting, immediately." Yami looked at Yugi. "What do you mean you have "always been able to do it?"

Yugi smiled at Yami. "Ra gave me that ability. That's how I was able to create you, my Love. I'm sorry I forgot who I was, or I never would have put you through the worry of me dying again."

Yami and Ryou looked extremely uncomfortable. "Uh...w..what?" Yami's crimson eyes were filled with worry.

Yugi smiled at Yami. "Atem, I am Osiris. Lord of the Dead."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Naruto and Sasuke went back to the scene of the attack. Sasuke scoured every inch, searching for...anything. Naruto stomped and trampled the earth, wanting to beat up...anything. "Damnit, come on!"

Sasuke cut his eyes sharply at Naruto, but kept searching. After a while, he sat back on his heels, sighing. Naruto stomped away angrily. "C'mon, let's see if anything has been found out."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Allea sighed, looking at Red. "You know we are going to have to do this." Red growled. "No."

"There is no other way. Things are becoming much too dangerous." Red growled. "I don't give a damn. I'm not doing it."

Allea looked to Red. "We'll put it to a vote at the meeting."

Red crossed his arms, glaring at Allea. "The answer is still no." Allea crossed her arms, staring at Red.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"So... _they_ are coming back?" The man smiled at the brunette.

"So I've been told. Tomorrow night." Sara spoke lowly, wiping down the bar near the man who sat, slouched, hoodie on and baseball cap pulled down, drinking a burgundy drink in a wine glass.

"And you know what do?" He leaned back, finishing the drink.

"Yes." she mumbled, glaring at the man. "And then I will get my man back?" "Of course." He smiled at her, plucking an ice cube out of his empty glass and

popping it in his mouth. Licking his lips, he laid down a twenty. "Thanks for the drink." He walked out, blending into the crowd.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Looking down on the blond undead corpse, Maelstrom sighed. "Damnit, I didn't want to leave so soon." Kicking the corpse, she turned around. "Oh well, moving on to the next phase of my plan." Smiling at her companion, she started walking.

"Shouldn't we find a place to stay?" Looking around, the woman was eyeing houses.

"No, this house will do fine." Maelstrom strode up to the house, knocking on the door.

"How are we going to get around your curse mark on the angel?" The smaller woman asked, approaching the door.

"I am working on that. I admit, not one of my finer moments." Maelstrom frowned at her miscalculation. _Love_ _does_ _cloud_ _one's_ _thinking._

The door opened and the two women went in, closing the door.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The centaurs looked at each other. The larger one sighed, looking sad, but determined. "The treaty has been broken. It is time for Yami to face the consequences of his lineage's actions." Nodding, the other centaur followed the bigger one.

Chapter 23: War

"O...Osiris?" Yami asked, sitting down with a thump, face incredulous.

Yugi giggled, swinging his feet. "I think I'm giddy from the power coming back to me. But, this makes sense, Atem...doesn't it? I mean, I created you...I thought...and you thought that I prayed and created you...but what if _I_ did that?" Lowering himself off the table, he walked over to Yami and crawled in his lap. "Atem, is this wrong? Are you mad at me?" His amethyst eyes started welling up with unshed tears.

"Wh...what? No! I..I just...I mean..so, uh...well.." Yami was speechless.

Yugi looked crestfallen. Ryou stepped in about then, putting a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Yugi...I think what Ya...uh, Atem is trying to say is that this is just...so much. I mean, you _are_ telling your lover that you are a god." Ryou's chocolate eyes were kind, but serious.

"Demi-god." Yugi corrected. "Ra is my father...God, Allah, Ra...whatever you want to call him. I have powers, I am immortal, but I am not all powerful." Putting a hand on Yami's cheek, Yugi pulled Yami's face to him. Kissing his lips gently, Yugi pulled back.

Ryou discretely left. Yami sat looking at Yugi. "Aibou..." he gulped. Looking down, he shook his head, head and emotions full...too full; he was unable to speak. "I...I need some time." Getting up, he fled from the room, Yugi sitting in the floor, tears spilling. Shame burned Yami's face. He was fleeing from Yugi.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The time to the meeting passed by fairly speedily. Of course, it was only about 12 hours from Osiris appearing to the time of the meeting, but still...it passed speedily. Yugi didn't see Yami at all. Yugi went back to the bedroom, but Yami wasn't there. Yugi was confused, and heart broken. He searched out his best friend.

Joey was sitting in the garden with Joto. He was bouncing her on his knee. Yugi blinked. Joto was already the size of a toddler. He remembered that were developed faster than normal, but he didn't remember it being _that_ fast.

"Hey Joey." Yugi sat down next to Joey on the bench. Joey smiled over at Yugi, then yelped.

"Yug! Wha's wrong with your eyes?" Joto smiled and reached out chubby arms to Yugi.

Yugi smiled and took Joto. "Atem tried to turn me, and released my soul and self...I am Osiris."

Joey looked confused. "O..who?"

Yugi smiled sadly. "I am Osiris, Lord of the Dead. I am a demigod Joey."

Joey looked shocked and gently took Joto back. "Ooohhhkay, Yug'...Ima gonna..."

About then Seto appeared. "You expect us to believe that you are Osiris?" His eyes studied Yugi coldly.

Yugi sighed. His giggly happy power rush was over. Looking at Seto, he frowned. "I am. Why would I lie?"

"I don't know." Seto stated coldly.

All of a sudden, it was just too much. Standing, Yugi clenched his fists at his sides. "Why is this so damn hard to understand? I did fucking create Atem after all...I created the first vampire. Ya know, the undead..."

Joey raised an eyebrow. "Yug...jes' calm down...this is just all so...new..." Yugi stomped off.

Joey turned to Seto angrily. "Whatcha' go and do sumptin' like dat for?" Seto turned and walked off. "We need to get to the meeting."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Seto walked in, Joey in tow, and appraised the room. Yet again, a multitude of supernatural beings sat in a room, looking at each other. Kurasha and Aeon were there, sitting on a couch, Aeon curled up in Kurasha's lap. The two were whispering quietly, stopping to look whenever someone came in, their faces relaxed and happy. Naruto and Sasuke were there, Naruto looking much worse for the wear, his bright blue eyes dim with strain and fatigue. Sasuke was alert, and watchful. Some fairies were in the back of the room, and ten vampire Lords sat at a table. Valon sat by an empty chair, looking solemn. Some werewolves, wereleopards, werelions, and werebears were lounging on the floor in various piles.

Ryou was sitting in a brown velvet plush chair, Akeifa lounging on the side, playing with Ryou's hair. Allea and Red walked in then, together, but very much apart from their stances. It was obvious they were disagreeing about something. Skylar walked in about then with a couple other angels. He did not looked pleased, looking around the room. The angel gang stood close to the door.

The centaurs had not arrived yet. Neither had Yami. _That_ concerned Seto. Yami was notoriously early for meetings of this magnitude. The door opened and...Yugi came in. Without Yami. Seto looked sideways at Joey, who shrugged, confused.

Seto glared at the group. Figuring he needed to start, he cleared his throat. The room became fairly quiet, except for the obnoxiously loud purring that came from the wereleopards. Yugi stood quietly in a corner, looking downcast. Ryou was glancing at Yugi worriedly.

"Where the bloody fucking hell is Ye Olde Yami?" Akeifa asked, looking around. Everyone else seemed to notice the absence and started looking around too. Ryou frowned disapprovingly at Akeifa. "What? Just asking where the old bastard is...he usually is here before anyone else arrives. Fucking weird that he's not here now.

Hey..." he waggled his eyebrows at Ryou, "wanna play hide the sausage til he gets here, SexyMe?"

Ryou literaly punched Akeifa in the shoulder, hard. Eyes narrowing, he glared at Akeifa. Akeifa smirked. "Hey, I like it rough..."

The door opened then and everyone looked up. Yami walked in, his composure plastered on his face like a kid's plastic Halloween mask. Walking over to the front of the room, he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Clearing his throat, he looked at everyone...except Yugi. "Thank you for coming on such short no..." He was interrupted by the door opening and four grim faced centaurs walking in. Yami's eyes grew huge. He bowed in respect. "Zarys, I never expected for you to come. We are honored at your presence."

The largest one responded, bowing in kind, the grim look never leaving his face. "Yami, I do not come on good circumstances. You have broken the treaty."

Yami looked confused. "I have done no such thing."

Zarys sighed. "You have sired a powerful vampire. That is against the treaty."

Joey quietly sidestepped behind Seto. Yami's face dawned in recognition. "Zarys, this was a willing transformation. We are facing the threat of Mael-"

"Willing or not, the Treaty was violated. A sacrifice must be made." Zarys's eyes were sad, but determined.

Yami stood tall. "A sacrifice will not be made. Maelstrom turned Joey, and in trying to save Joey and this area, Seto tried to stop the effects from taking place and re- turned him. This was not an intentional violation of the treaty."

"So, you will not offer a sacrifice?" Zarys's eyes were growing steely. Yami rose to full height. "I will not."

"You leave us no choice then." He took a large, smooth black stone and set it on the table. "We will help with Maelstrom, as she is a joint threat, but then, our alliance is finished. We will leave Ulyzor here as our representative; he will relay information to the herd. His word is binding." Signaling to one centaur, with obsidian fur and mane, Zarys turned and left, taking the other two centaurs with him. The centaur that remained moved inside quietly.

Yami breathed in a gasp, looking at the stone. Seto seemed frozen as well.

Several minutes of silence passed before Akeifa's voice rang out, "Would someone tell me why the fuck a black rock is so fucking scary?"

Yami let out a shaky breath. "The centaurs are declaring war on me."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Zarys, that wasn't necessary!" A younger, blonde centaur stated.

"Nikrol, it is not your place to speak." Zarys glared harshly at the younger centaur.

"It wasn't their fault! A vampire was created by Maelstrom! Seto was trying to negate the damages!" Nikrol stomped his hooved feet.

"Good and evil, light and dark, all of nature must be kept in balance." Zarys looked to the stars as if finding meaning in them.

"Balance! Balance! That's all I hear from you, but you don't seem to want any balance but what _you_ deem to be balance. You aren't always right you know!" Nikrol shook is blonde mane as the moonlight bounced off it.

"Silence!" Zarys boomed. Walking off in the forest, Nikrol followed, an angry look on his face.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi didn't really hear most of the meeting. His heart hurt. He didn't know why Atem was acting like he was. He picked up that Atem and Seto explained what had happened with Joey and that _something_ happened with Yugi, but they did not go into detail...just that they were not fully sure themselves. They also explained what they knew about Maelstrom and the attack on the ninjas. Most of the people decided to send out groups trying to get information and track down Maelstrom. They were still trying to figure out how to find her though.

Yugi was jerked out of his thoughts when he heard Allea speak up. Looking up, he saw Red glaring angrily at her as she kept talking, ignoring his glare. "-and so the only reliable way we may be able to find her is to use me as bait. We will have some advance knowledge of her due to my mark's pain."

Yami looked at Allea. "I don't know if I like that or not...I don't like putting more people in danger."

Naruto stood. "C'mon! We have no leads here at all. Maelstrom can jump bodies and we can't keep up with her. If this is our only lead, then we need to use it. We can protect Allea. Believe it!"

Sasuke's dark eyes took the scene in. Akeifa was unnaturally quiet, face closed off, at this discussion.

"It is getting late...the sun is soon to come up. Let us rest on this and convene tomorrow night to discuss this some more. Perhaps sleep will clear our minds." Yami looked around the room.

There was mumbled agreement, and the groups started dispersing. As people left, Yugi walked up to Yami. "Atem..." Yami turned, gulping.

"I'm sorry Yugi, I have to go take care of something..." And he was gone. Yugi looked down, his heart sliding to his feet.

Yami left quickly and ran...ran away from Yugi. The same thoughts that had been replaying for hours still in his head _._ _I_ _already knew_ _he_ _was_ _better_ _than_ _me,_ _but_ _now_ _this proves_ _it. I_ _can't_ _let_ _him_ _degrade_ _himself_ _by_ _being_ _with_ _me._ _What_ _I've_ _done,_ _who_ _I_ _was...he's_ _a_ _god._ _He_ _deserves_ _better._

Chapter 24: Regrets

Joey paced in the bedroom. Seto kept typing on the laptop, trying to finish the payroll for the club. After Joey's fifth circle around Seto, Seto looked up. "Stop. Pacing."

Joey threw his hands in the air. "Wha'? Whatcha mean? I'm not pacin'."

"Really?" Seto asked, looking at Joey with an incredulous look. Joey stopped, sighing, looking down.

"Ya's gonna go ta war wit' your oldest friends causea me." Joey looked up, pain in his eyes.

Seto simply looked at Joey. "That is not true."

Joey looked at Seto like he was an imbecile. "Really? Then whaddaya call the stone thing we jes' saw?"

Seto closed the laptop, standing up and going over to Joey. Taking Joey's hand, he led him to the bed. "They are not our oldest friends, and it is not because of you."

Joey looked at Seto skeptically. Seto continued. "It is true that they are old allies. But alliances can be broken. New alliances can form. And, this war is not because of you. It is because the centaurs are tired of dealing with us and are looking for a way out."

Joey looked at Seto like he didn't believe him, but he didn't want to argue about it anymore. Also, he still had his were abilities from the fusion, so he could sense that Seto was telling the truth. He didn't smell any lies from him. Deciding to change the subject, he looked at Seto. "So, whaddare we gonna do about Maelstrom?"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Answering the knock on the door, Allea sighed. She knew he was at the door. This wasn't going to be pleasant. "Please be civil." she pleaded with Red. He glared at her and said nothing.

Opening the door, there stood the angels. Skylar in front, looking dangerously angry. "Skylar, Cassiel, Damian, please, come in." Stepping back from the door, in front of Red, she kept a watchful eye on the trio. Shutting the door, the trio stood very near it. Allea could feel the tension of Red behind her. "Well, what do you need?"

The female, with long wispy silver hair, stepped up. "You do not speak to Skylar. You are not worthy of the dirt on his boots, _daten-shi._ " Red felt Allea cringe at the insult, but she put her hand on his arm. Cassiel spit at Allea's feet as the male red headed angel that had to be Damien grabbed her, pulling her back with a stern look on his face. His pale skin had a healthy flush to it, and the ends of some black tattoos could be seen creeping over each shoulder as he wore no shirt, only khaki cargo looking pants.

Skylar looked to Cassiel. "Cassiel, enough. We did not come here to fight. I came here to talk." Turning back to Allea, his eyes softened. "Allea, we grew up together. It is not the same in the heavens without you. Please, come back with us." Cassiel opened her mouth angrily, but Damien put his hand on her arm, eyes warning her to stay silent.

Allea smiled a sad smile. "Yes, Skylar, we did. And I miss you greatly. But I have made my decision."

Skylar's eyes grew hard, and he looked at her. "Was it worth it? Was _he_ worth it?"

Allea felt Red flinch at the words. Staring at Skylar, she smiled. "Everything that has ever happened in my life led me to him, and for that, I will always be grateful. He is worth everything I have been through, and more. Now, I think you should leave." Eyes huge, Cassiel stormed out. Skylar's hard eyes turned, and he followed her out. Only Damian looked back, eyes kind. "I miss you, my friend." Allea whispered.

Damien smiled sadly back. "And I you."

Turning back to Red after they left, she looked up to him. "Hold me?" she whispered. He pulled her close with his strong arms, holding her as she wept.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi trudged back to the room. He knew Atem wouldn't be there. His heart hurt. He must have done something wrong for Atem to run from him. _I_ _thought_ _we_ _would_ _be_ _together_ _for_ _all_ _time?_ Blinking back tears, he opened his door...

And spotted Atem sitting in the floor, sobbing.

Yugi couldn't help it. He did what came naturally to him...he went over to Atem, wrapping his arms around him. Yugi's heart broke when he saw the red eyes of his lover redder than normal, water pouring fourth. Turning his head, Atem looked shamefully down.

"Y..Yugi...please, leave me. I am n...not worthy of you, but I am not strong enough to let you go." he whimpered, still sobbing.

Yugi looked confused, holding Atem. "Atem, whatever are you talking about?"

Yami looked up at Yugi, shamefully. "You have no idea what I did while you were gone..."

"Then show me." Yugi whispered, cradling Atem like a child. Sliding a hand to Atem's temple, he closed his eyes.

"No.." Yami whimpered, trying to pull away.

Yugi looked at him, speaking softly. "If you want me to leave, you need to show me why."

Yami sighed, more tears spilling, and he closed his eyes as Yugi put his hand back on Yami's temple.

 _It was_ _Egypt,_ _so_ _long ago._ _The_ _dry_ _wind_ _blew_ _the_ _sand_ _in_ _varying_ _directions._ _The_ _moon_ _shone_ _down_ _on_ _the_ _sand_ _like_ _an_ _ocean. Hunched_ _in_ _the_ _sand_ _was_ _a_ _monster._ _Crimson_ _eyes_ _stared out_ _at_ _the_ _night._ _He_ _was_ _hungry._ _He_ _was_ _cold._ _He was_ _empty._ _He didn't_ _care_ _about anyone_ _or_ _anything. Seto_ _and_ _Mai_ _sat_ _beside him._ _He didn't_ _care_ _about_ _them._ _The_ _three_ _had_ _become_ _inseparable_ _since_ _all_ _becoming_ _vampires._ _But_ _he_ _didn't_ _care._

 _He_ _had_ _slaughtered_ _villages_ _for his_ _bloodlust._ _He_ _had_ _killed_ _men, women,_ _and_ _..._ _and_ _even_ _children._ _He_ _didn't_ _care. He_ _was_ _alive,_ _but_ _he_ _wasn't_ _living._ _He_ _was_ _surviving._

 _Right_ _now,_ _it_ _was_ _after_ _a raid,_ _with_ _the_ _blood_ _fresh_ _on_ _his_ _lips, that_ _he_ _was_ _hunched_ _in_ _the_ _sand._ _Leaning_ _back,_ _he_ _leaned against_ _a_ _pyramid._ _It was_ _time._ _Walking_ _to_ _the_ _pyramid,_ _the other_ _two_ _followed_ _him._ _Once at_ _the_ _pyramid,_ _the_ _two_ _stopped. "We'll_ _be_ _right_ _out_ _here, hon."_ _Mai_ _called_ _quietly_ _after_ _him_ _as he alone_ _headed_ _to_ _the_ _pyramid._

 _He_ _made_ _no_ _response;_ _just_ _simply_ _walked_ _into_ _the_ _pyramid,_ _staying_ _in_ _the_ _shadows,_ _avoiding_ _the_ _guards._ _Finally,_ _finding_ _his_ _destination,_ _he_ _sat_ _down_ _in_ _front_ _of_ _the_ _sarcophagus._ _Gripping_ _it_ _with_ _both hands_ _in_ _a_ _hug,_ _he_ _cried. "Heba..."_ _he_ _whimpered,_ _the_ _tears_ _spilling forth._ _"I_ _don't_ _want_ _to_ _be_ _here._ _I_ _want_ _to_ _be_ _with_ _you._ _I've_ _been_ _damned_ _to_ _be_ _here,_ _separated_ _from_ _you._ _I_ _can't_ _move_ _on._ _All_ _I_ _see_ _is_ _your_ _face._ _All_ _I_ _hear_ _on_ _the wind_ _is_ _your_ _laugh._ _Please, come_ _back_ _to_ _me."_ _More_ _tears_ _fell_ _as_ _the_ _tomb_ _remained_ _silent._ _He_ _had_ _insisted_ _on_ _an elaborate_ _sarcophagus_ _for_ _Heba_ _of_ _an_ _angel..._

 _After_ _several_ _hours,_ _Atem...or_ _Yami_ _as he_ _now_ _called_ _himself,_ _stood,_ _wiping_ _puffy_ _eyes_ _that had_ _no_ _more_ _liquid to_ _give._ _Sighing_ _quietly,_ _he_ _dusted himself_ _off. He_ _knew_ _whose_ _fault_ _this_ _was...and_ _he_ _knew what_ _he_ _had_ _to_ _do_ _about_ _it._

 _Walking_ _out,_ _the_ _other_ _two_ _fell_ _in_ _behind him._ _He walked_ _them_ _to_ _the_ _town_ _and_ _stopped_ _at_ _the temple. "You_ _two_ _stay_ _out_ _here...this_ _is_ _something_ _I_ _must_ _do_ _alone."_ _The_ _two blended_ _into_ _the_ _shadows,_ _awaiting Yami's_ _return. After_ _passing_ _a_ _few_ _feet_ _inside_ _the_ _temple,_ _he_ _heard_ _movement_ _and_ _saw_ _priests and_ _followers_ _wandering_ _around_ _the_ _temple._ _Slaughtering_ _the priests, he_ _trudged_ _inside_ _farther,_ _killing_ _anyone_ _alive_ _in_ _the_ _temple._ _He_ _did_ _not_ _drink_ _this_ _blood...this_ _was_ _tainted blood...tainted_ _by_ _the_ _very one_ _who_ _took_ _his_ _Heba_ _away from_ _him._ _Upon_ _entering_ _the_ _central_ _room,_ _he_ _stood,_ _taking_ _in_ _the_ _sights._ _Fury_ _overtook_ _him_ _then...white_ _hot_ _fury,_ _blinding him._ _"You_ _did this!_ _You_ _took_ _him_ _from_ _me!_ _You_ _cursed_ _me_ _and_ _turned me_ _into_ _this...this...THING!"_ _He_ _ran_ _wildly_ _and_ _recklessly_ _about, destroying_ _statutes,_ _offering_ _pools,_ _gifts,_ _everything._ _Finally,_ _running_ _into_ _a_ _separate_ _room,_ _he_ _spied_ _an_ _old_ _priest,_ _staring_ _at_ _him_ _in fear._ _By the_ _looks_ _of_ _the_ _clothing,_ _it_ _was a_ _high_ _priest._ _Yami_ _smiled_ _maniacally_ _and_ _advanced_ _on_ _him._ _The_ _priest_ _saw Yami_ _advancing_ _on him,_ _clothing_ _in_ _disarray,_ _blood_ _splotches_ _all_ _over_ _him._ _The_ _priest_ _tried_ _to_ _run,_ _but_ _Yami_ _was_ _much_ _too_ _fast_ _and_ _caught_ _him_ _easily._

 _"You'll do."_ _Yami_ _whispered_ _evilly._

 _The_ _priest_ _licked_ _his_ _dry_ _lips._ _"Please..._ _let_ _me_ _go."_ _the_ _priest whispered_ _pathetically._

 _"Oh_ _yes,_ _I_ _will let_ _you go." Yami_ _smirked,_ _nose_ _to_ _nose_ _with_ _the priest,_ _a_ _hand_ _gripping_ _the_ _fabric_ _of_ _the_ _priest's_ _collar._ _The_ _priest_ _visibly_ _relaxed._

 _"Please,_ _I'll_ _do_ _anything...what_ _do_ _you want?"_ _His voice_ _was_ _still_ _high_ _pitched_ _in_ _terror._

 _Yami's_ _eyes_ _hardened. "Bring_ _back_ _my_ _soulmate,_ _you_ _son_ _of_ _a_ _bitch."_ _As_ _he_ _ripped_ _the_ _neck_ _of_ _the_ _priest's_ _body,_ _he_ _dipped_ _his_ _fingers_ _in blood,_ _making patterns_ _on_ _the_ _wall._ _When_ _finished,_ _he_ _tossed_ _the priest's_ _body_ _aside_ _carelessly_ _as_ _a_ _child_ _would_ _toss a_ _candy_ _bar_ _wrapper_ _down._ _Turning,_ _he_ _saw_ _Mai_ _and_ _Seto_ _standing,_ _looking_ _at_ _the_ _disarray_ _and_ _carnage._ _Seto_ _raised_ _an_ _eyebrow. Yami_ _walked_ _past_ _both_ _of_ _them._ _"C'mon,_ _we're_ _leaving Egypt."_ _Turning, both_ _followed_ _him,_ _but_ _not_ _before_ _seeing what_ _Yami_ _had left on_ _the_ _wall:_

 _OSIRIS:_

 _Murderer._ _Hypocrite._ _FALSE_ _GOD._ _May_ _Ra_ _damn_ _your_ _soul._

Chapter 25: In Motion

Yugi looked at Yami, eyes sad. "You wanted to damn me because I wanted you to live?" he asked softly, staring at Yami.

Yami kept his head down, sniffling. "I missed you so much, Aibou. I was lost without you. I did the unthinkable. I degraded you, destroyed your followers, without knowing it was you. I am so sorry...but I understand." Looking up, crimson eyes looked defeated. It broke Yugi's heart to see his pharaoh so dejected. Swallowing hard, Yami looked to Yugi. "Please...one last kiss before you leave?"

"No." Yugi said, staring at Yami. Yami's eyes slid closed, his throat closing painfully. He nodded.

"I...I understand." he whispered, pain filling his entire body.

"No, I don't think you do." Yami heard Yugi's voice. Suddenly, he felt a finger underneath his chin, lifting it up slowly. Yami opened his eyes to see that beautiful amethyst staring at him. "I won't give you one last kiss before I leave, because I am not leaving."

Yami blinked, staring at Yugi. "B..but, Aibou..."

Yugi put a finger on Yami's lips. "But nothing. You didn't know. You were hurting. I cannot say I would be any different if placed in the same situation. Atem, I love you. If I have to keep reminding you of that every day for the rest of our lives, I will do that. I just wish you would believe me. A lack of confidence is not becoming on you." Yugi leaned over and rubbed his nose on Yami's. Yami smiled, letting out a long, slow breath.

Yugi cocked his head to the side. A questioning look crossed his face. Yami looked at him. "What, Aibou?" Still cradled in Yugi's lap.

"Would you rather me call you Atem or Yami?" He smoothed the blonde lightning bolt as he smiled down in those crimson eyes.

Thinking for a bit, he sighed. "I cannot change anything in my past. But, I truly am no longer Atem. That died when I became a vampire. I think I would like for you to call me Yami. I feel like that is who I am now."

Yugi smiled. "Then that is what I will call you, Yami." Leaning down, he kissed Yami's lips lightly, tongue running over the bottom lip. He felt Yami shudder in his arms, and he leaned back, looking at Yami. "You ok?" he whispered. Yami nodded, letting out a shaky breath. Smiling, he ran the backs of his fingers over Yugi's cheek.

"Let's get some sleep...tomorrow night is going to be rough...I fear that the ninjas will wait no longer for inaction if Hinata and Sakura are not awake by then." Yami put a hand to Yugi's cheek, rubbing his thumb over Yugi's cheekbone. Yugi nodded. "Aibou...what should I call you?" His eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

Amethyst eyes smiled at him. "I like Aibou...but, if you are asking about my proper name, it's Yugi."

Yami smiled. Stripping down, he walked into the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower if you would like to join me." Yugi grinned and headed after him, clothes flying as he went.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Do you really think this is going to work?" Sara frowned as she sat on the park bench, the wind whipping her hair across her face.

"Of course. Do as I tell you, and all will be ideal." The male sat, a dark green hoodie on, hood pulled up, wind slicing through the thin fabric. Sara shivered, noticing that the man didn't even seem to feel the wind. Sticking a hand in his pocket, he pulled out a small package. "I've placed a friendly face in the kitchen. He will work with you. Just ask for Noah."

Sara got up, putting the package in her pocket. "Fine." Walking off, she turned to ask about Noah, but the green hooded figure was already gone.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The woman looked around. "And _why_ do I have to be a fat, old man?"

"Because, I cannot get near them with that little bitch around. The mark will alert them immediately."

The grey haired man nodded, amethyst eyes unhappy. Scratching his leg, he grumbled. "Ugh, why green overalls?" Rolling his eyes, he started walking towards town. _We_ _are_ _going through_ _bodies_ _too quickly._ _She_ _is_ _becoming_ _reckless in_ _her_ _restlessness._

Stepping into the bar, the bright lights hurt his eyes. _Stupid_ _old_ _man. Wouldn't_ _know_ _how_ _to_ _have_ _fun_ _if it_ _bit_ _him_ _in the ass._ Looking around, he saw, of all people, Joey. Joey's eyes got huge, and a big smile grew across his face. "Gramps! Whaddaya doin' here? Does Yug' know ya here?" He ran over and hugged the old man.

Grampa smiled. "No...Yugi doesn't know I'm here. It's a surprise. Can you help me sneak up on him? He thinks I'm still in Egypt looking up artifacts."

Joey smiled big. "Sure! We's about to start a meetin' in about an hour, but I'm sure Yug'd love ta see ya before then. C'mon!" Following Joey, Grampa smiled, enjoying that his trip was going _exactly_ as planned. _Maybe_ _she_ _isn't_ _so_ _reckless_ _after_ _all._

Knocking on a door, there was a muffled "Yea?"

"Yug'...c'mere...ya not gonna believe dis!" Joey was practically giddy.

"'Kay, gimme a sec." There was rustling behind the door, and then the door opened. Yugi stood there, eyes actually looking a bit more normal...white was showing, but still no pupils. His eyes lit up when he saw who was with Joey. "Grampa! I thought you were still in Egypt!" He hugged the old man tight, who just laughed at the hug.

"Surprise!" The old man smiled, ruffling Yugi's hair. Yugi smiled happily.

"Grampa, have I got news for you! I want you to meet my mate! Yami...my grampa is here!" he was talking to someone over his shoulder in the darkness of the room.

"I'm coming." the smooth baritone drifted on the air as Yami came into view in black silk pajama pants. Bowing slightly, he smiled at the older man. "I am honored to meet you. Your grandson has told me so much about you."

Smiling, the old man suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Grampa, is something wrong?" Yugi instantly was beside him.

"Oh, I just need some rest. I feel like I have been running nonstop. Is there someplace I could sit down for a bit just to catch my breath?"

"Sure! Here, you can stay here while we go to the meeting. Is that okay, Yami?" Yugi turned concerned eyes to Yami.

"Of course, Aibou. Please, make yourself comfortable. Are you hungry?" Yami smiled politely at the older man.

"Oh no, no. Thank you. Just a bit of a rest will be fine. Thank you." He smiled and went in, sitting on the bed. Yami and Yugi left, shutting the door quietly behind them. The three headed back up to Yami's office, to finish the meeting.

After the door was closed, the old man smiled, sitting up. Looking around, he set to work.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Aeon smiled. She had just what she needed. Yami said he would help her, and she knew he would. Yami never went back on his word. He said it would be ready when she came back, and it was. Skipping, she decided to stop in the kitchen to get a snack before the meeting. Walking into the kitchen, she passed a brunette leaving. Smiling, she saw a green haired male making a salad.

"Hi! I'm Aeon. Is there anyway that I can possibly get a teeny weeny snack?" She smiled, batting her eyes. He turned, smiling at her.

"Sure,what would you like? Actual food-food, or a snack?" His smile set her at ease. "Just a snack. I want something sweet, and Kurasha _always_ has a sweet tooth."

"Well, I have some ice cream, some fruit, and some banana pudding, all fresh." He was in front of the refrigerator, naming off sweet items he could see.

Aeon's eyes lit up. Banana pudding! That was Kurasha's favorite! "Banana pudding please!"

Smiling, the man turned around, getting a large white soup bowl down. Opening the refrigerator, he dished out some yellow pudding into the bowl, putting a few vanilla wafers around the edge. Finally, he dusted it with a bit of vanilla wafer crumbs.

Grabbing two spoons, he handed them to her on a tray. "Need anything to drink?"

"Nope, this looks awesome. Thanks!" Smiling, she took the tray, going back to her room. Opening the door, she called for Kurasha.

Coming out of the shower in a robe, hair up in a towel, Kurasha smiled at Aeon. "Hello, Beautiful. What's up?"

Aeon smiled. "I got us a snack...banana pudding!"

Kurasha's eyes lit up. "Well...just a little won't hurt..." Smiling, she took a spoon and dug into the bowl on the table. Sliding it in her mouth, Kurasha's eyes slid closed. "Mmmmm, this is unbelievable!" Scooping another spoonful in her mouth, she sat down, a silly smile on her face. Aeon smiled. She loved to do little things to make Kurasha smile.

"Better get dressed so we can get to the meeting. I'm going to go ahead, I forgot to ask Yami something, okay?" Kurasha smiled, so Aeon left, smiling. Shutting the door, she skipped off, humming a favorite tune. Unfortunately, the hum covered up the soft _thump_ from the room. Aeon skipped on, oblivious...

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The black and green haired man stood by the wall at the club. Hair pulled back in a ponytail, black combat boots, leather pants, and a net shirt showing off his muscles, he blended in well. Looking around, he took in everything. He was looking for someone specific...seeing the white hair, he smirked, following quietly.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Ryou walked into the infirmary. Akeifa had wanted to get chocolate yogurt of all things, so he ran out quickly to do that before the meeting. Ryou needed to check on the ninjas, so he had declined to go, asking for butter pecan. Akeifa had to make some comment about buttering nuts, but he did leave. As Ryou bent over to check Sakura's vitals, he felt a pain in the base of his neck, followed by darkness...

Chapter 26: The Missing

Yami walked in, sighing deeply, Yugi walking quietly next to him. Looking around the conference room, he sighed again. Yugi looked over at him, eyebrows raised quizzically. Yami laughed softly. "You know me so well, Aibou. I was just thinking of all of these people...all of them allies, most of them friends. I just...I just feel that some won't survive the oncoming wars."

Yugi nodded in understanding. Not only did they have to deal with Maelstrom, but after Maelstrom, the centaurs...if something didn't change between now and then to either change the centaurs minds _or_ _someone_ _else's._ Alliances were tricky things...hard won but easily broken. Smiling softly, Yugi thought to Joey and Seto... _At_ _least_ _those_ _two_ _alliances_ _won't_ _break._ Coming back to reality, Yugi sighed. Unfortunately, Yugi didn't think this war with Maelstrom was going to end quickly...or bloodlessly.

As people started filing in, Valon still unnaturally aloof, Yami looked to them all. Looking around he took note of who was...and wasn't there. Seto and Joey came in, sitting in their normal seats on the small couch. The room started filling up. Looking around, Yami's forehead furrowed in concern. There were some people who were not here who definitely _should_ be. Just as he was opening his mouth to speak, the door burst open and all hell broke loose...

Naruto, Sasuke, Aeon, Akeifa, Red, Alpha, and Enforcer burst in, all talking at once. Okay, all but Sasuke and Red were talking at once...Sasuke was remaining eerily quiet and everyone was thankful Red didn't speak. Seto couldn't keep the two wereleopards names straight, since they kept changing them. He was glad when he heard that they were officially going by their positions...and that the wereleopard who had been in the prowl since he was a baby was the Alpha. That newly created wereleopard was a wildcard...

"-The girls..they're gone! We gotta go after them, now! I'm done waiting!" Naruto raged, teeth bared, fists at his side, knuckles white.

"Yami, please, Kurasha...she...she's gone!" Aeon was in tears, her hair in disarray.

"Yugi...Joey...Seto...the baby...she..she has been taken too." Alpha stated, tears in his eyes, anger radiating o of him. Pure _rage_ was radiating off the Enforcer.

"Fuck all this! My Ryou is gone and so is Allea! This fuckin' lunatic..." Akeifa railed, pointing at Red, "...is gonna go nuts if we don't go after them _now!_ And I may fucking take out the rest of you! Ryou is in danger!"

Everything seemed to go into slow motion, even though everything was moving at a break neck pace. Pandemonium ensued as everyone exploded into voices. Yami tried to quiet the group down, but to no avail.

"ENOUGH! I command my lineage to be quiet while we figure this out!" Yami yelled when his normal methods didn't quiet the group down. At that, the vampires

silenced, and the others quieted down. "Now..." Yami said. "Maelstrom has gone too far and must be stopped, so..."

"That's what I said! We gotta move, _now_!" Naruto stood, fist in the air.

"Quiet, knucklehead. Yami's organizing a rescue." Sasuke's quiet voice caught Naruto's attention. Rage seeped off of Naruto, but he sat down, mouth in a thin line.

"We are going to organize a group to go looking for them. We will all leave together, but if the trails split, we will split. We will need people here and out with the group.

First, does anyone not wish to participate?" Looking out, he saw no one raise their hand or leave. Nodding, he continued. "Does anyone wish to volunteer to go on this, besides the obvious?" Yami looked around. A red headed angel raised his hand as the other angels scowled at him. Yami bowed. "Damien, it would be an honor for you to join us." Alpha and Enforcer raised their hands. Yami looked to them. "I need you two to stay behind to help protect the prowl and this place. We need strength here, too." Begrudgingly Alpha nodded. Enforcer looked to Alpha and frowned, but nodded with arms crossed, and exasperated hmmph out of his mouth.

Valon's hand raised. Yami looked kindly at the vampire. "Valon, I appreciate the offer, but I need you to stay here and be Master while I am gone." Valon's eyes widened slightly, and he nodded. Seeing no other hands, Yami turned back. "Okay. This is important, so listen." All attention was on Yami. Pulling down a whiteboard, he grabbed a dry erase marker and started writing on it. "While gone, I need everyone le here to shore up security and keep this place running tight. Lords, keep your areas safe. Yugi and I will be going with the group." As he finished writing, he turned the board around. "We will leave as one group. I want a wereleopard and werewolf with us for each possible group. Werewolves have better smell, wereleopards have better hearing. The groups are as follows, _if_ we need to split. It is possible that all have been taken to the same place."

Allea: Red, Damian, Ember, Katsume Ryou: Akeifa, Roderic, Snake

Joto: Joey, Seto, Garnet, Hiro Hinata: Naruto, Quil, Aster Sakura: Sasuke, Neko, Kizsa Kurasha: Aeon, Lyra, Mikain

Everyone nodded, murmuring. Yami looked at everyone. "One last thing before we get going. Valon will be the Vampire Lord over Mai's area while we are gone. We will deal with putting a permanent replacement in after we get back." Valon looked down, eyes hard, but nodded. Looking at the group, Yami nodded. "One hour, I want to be ready to go. Get your stuff together that you need. After that, get with your group for the following assignments: I am putting Hinata's and Sakura's group in charge of getting extra weapons. Ryou's group, make sure to get medical supplies for the

group and for our missing, Joto's group and Kurasha's group, go with Honda to get any other supplies we need. Finally, Allea's group...make sure to get something of each person who is missing so we have their scent for the wolves to go on. Get going, be back here in one hour." There was a rushing to the door as people left, some to get ready to go on the mission, others to get back to their areas. Valon sat, looking down.

Yami walked over. "Will you be okay? Yami asked kindly. Valon looked up, eyes glassy. "Yea...but get this bitch, will you?" Yami nodded.

"We are going to do everything we can. Mai's death will not be in vain." Yami swore to him. Valon nodded, pulling Yami into a hug.

Walking out, Yugi looked to Yami. "We aren't all going to come back from this, are we?" he asked, realization finally sinking in. Yami looked at Yugi, kissing his forehead, nodding sadly.

"No, Aibou...I'm afraid we won't." Two sets of sad, but determined eyes went to get ready for the war ahead.


	4. Captive Chaos

Chapter 1: Travel Plans

"I'm going to tell Grampa what's going on. It's not fair that he just gets here and I have to leave." Yugi looked to Yami. Yami nodded.

"Good idea, Aibou. It's always best to be honest. However, I would be _...sparse_...in the details. Don't want to worry him." Smiling, he hugged Yugi. Walking into their room, Yugi quickly started looking for his Grampa as Yami grabbed a small backpack, throwing clothes in it for both of them.

"Grampa!" Yugi called, heading to the bathroom. Knocking on the door, he got no response. Opening the door, peeking in, he was ready to close his eyes, but there was ... nothing. Turning around in confusion, he came back out, looking at Yami. "I can't find Grampa...do you think he maybe went to get something to eat? But why wouldn't he leave a note, or something?" Upon hearing a strangled cry from Yami, he quickly looked up. Yami was upset, a tear sliding down his face, as he looked towards the fireplace. Yugi quickly looked to where Yami looked, and gasped.

The painting...The painting of those two at the fountain...was shredded, hanging by one nail. On the stone next to it was written the ominous message... _No one is safe. You'll meet Gramps soon, Yugi._

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey was crying over Sienna's body as Seto was quickly packing a bag for the both of them. It was obvious from the state of the room that Sienna fought valiantly. Her body was in were form, mangled almost beyond repair, scratches encompassing most of her body. The baby's bed was overturned, carpet and sheets shredded, blood _everywhere._ Allistair had fought as well, for his body was found by the bathroom, crumpled, artery severed. Setowas looking at everything analytically, refusing to _comprehend_ the scene. He didn't have time to deal with this. He didn't have time to deal with anything. The only thing important to him was getting Joto back and protecting Joey.

After quickly grabbing a few changes of clothes and some toiletries in a Michael Kors overnight bag, he grabbed Joey gently turning up Joey's face. "We'll get her back, and we will avenge our friends." Kissing Joey's lips gently, he wiped away the tears. "C'mon...we need to finish our assignment from Yami." Nodding, shaky breath leaving his body, Joey followed Seto out.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Red stomped behind Akeifa. He needed nothing from that room. That room was just that...a room. It held nothing for him. He wanted to leave, get Allea back, and make Maelstrom pay. She would die. He would guarantee it, no matter what.

Akeifa had a crazed look about him as he grabbed, of all things, bunny pajamas and a small, stuffed rabbit with soft white fur. Grabbing Ryou's pouch and a book, he looked at Red. "Ready. You want anything from your room?" Vaguely, Red realized how worried Akeifa was for him to not even bother with cursing.

Red shook his head. "I just want to get out of here and on the way." The floor shook lightly. Akeifa nodded.

Stopping, looking darkly around, he looked at Red. "If it comes down to it...we get Ryou and Allea. Fuck the rest." Knowing what Allea would say, Red shook his head anyways.

"Agreed. _Both_ of them." His hazel eyes were hard, staring at Akeifa. Akeifa nodded.

"Both of them."

Turning, the demons headed out.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Aeon ran to the room, tears streaming. Looking around, she tried to figure out if there was anything that Kurasha would need. Noticing a favorite bracelet, Aeon picked it up, putting it on. Looking around, she saw nothing else, so she grabbed a sheet, threw some clothes in it, and tied it closed. Grabbing the engagement ring that Yami had helped her with, tears flowed from her eyes again. "Kurasha, I will find you." she vowed, even if it was to herself. Quickly she left the room, heading to meet the group.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Naruto and Sasuke gathered up the girls' things in a knapsack. Throwing the knapsack to Naruto, Sasuke walked out, Naruto following them. Neither had anything to say, both lost in their own thoughts.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Well within the hour, everyone had gathered back in the conference room. Looking at everyone that was there, including Valon and Honda who were there to help with communication from Domino, Yami nodded. "We have news. I don't know how everyone was taken, but we know that Maelstrom or her lackey killed Yugi's grandfather." Squeezing Yugi's hand, he continued over Joey's gasp. Looking at Valon and Honda, his eyes became hard. "I am sorry to leave this to you, but I want _everyone_ who has been hired on here since Yugi came to me to be fired. If that means that we are short, people can work double shifts with generous pay, or quit. If there are some we know and trust, you can hire them Valon. But be wary. Be watchful. Watch for any changes. I don't think either of them will be here, but we cannot take any more chances." Honda and Valon nodded.

Looking to everyone else, Yami sighed. "I have called in a couple favors. Pegasus is loaning us his private jet so we can travel wherever we need to if we need to leave this area. I don't know where to start, so we will be relying heavily on the were. Did you all bring something of the others?" Seeing the nods, his mouth relaxed slightly. "Good. I have put out a call to the other masters letting them know that we may need to travel to their areas. I'd rather travel to some than others." Looking around, he asked the question all were thinking. "So, where do we start?"

As if on cue, "Forsaken" by Korn started playing. Touching the screen of his phone, Yami answered. "This is Yami." He hit the speaker button, laying his phone on the table.

"Yami, I don't know what the hell you are doing, but we got a massive power surge in my territory. I got the message you sent, so I am letting you know." The voice was female, of an unknown accent. Seto rolled his eyes.

"Thank you, Betty Sue. So will you give us permission to come to your area?"

"Sure thing, YamYam. I'll clear it with the others, so you can fly on in...unless you have a teleporter available."

Yugi tensed. _YamYam?_

Yami shook his head. "No, we don't. I only know of two teleporters in the world, and neither like me much."

"Yea, they are a pissy lot, aren't they? No hospitality at all. We'll get ready for ya. You flying into Dyersburg?"

Yami lifted his eyes, doing some calculations in his head. "I suppose that would be best...wait...isn't there a little airport north of there in Missouri?"

Betty Lou was silent for a moment. "Oh, yea...Cape Air...you wanna go _there?_ Why? It's Podunk if I ever saw Podunk. And the Master of Cape isn't the nicest." It sounded like Betty Lou was pouting.

"True, but I don't get along with Deon after the Parade Incident."

"Your choice, honey." Yugi was bristling now. "I'll get ahold of Crowe."

"Thank you, Betty Sue." Looking to the others, he sighed. "I guess the jet it is."

Damien raised an eyebrow. "How do we know that this power surge is them?"

Yami sighed. "We don't...but this is our best lead. There are only two teleporters in the world. One is a hermit living in the Ukraine, and the other...well, the other hates me, so I can see where he would help Maelstrom."

Akeifa's eyes narrowed. "Hate to tell you all, but she can fucking teleport. She doesn't need help."

Yami's shoulders seemed to sink. "Wonderful. Can't we ever get a break?"

Akeifa looked to Yami. "The good thing is that if that pussywaffle is teleporting a large number, she can't do it again for a few weeks. Fucktwat will have to move them by normal means. Dragon hates her too, just like Kruschiev does. She's a fucking bitch, and she makes an impression wherever that bloody cunt goes."

Yami looked around. "Well, that sounds promising. Does anyone else have a better idea?"

Chapter 2: The Dark Night

Sitting in the plush jet, Naruto's eyes slid closed. He wanted to find Hinata and Sakura, he was going to find them… eyes sliding shut, he fought the darkness. _Think, Naruto, think…_ He was never good at all the thinking stuff... he fought... he was going to fight..the darkness...he hadn't slept in two days...the darkness. _**Sleep boy...**_ _ **you**_ _ **need your strength...**_ Kurama's voice filtered through his head. Naruto's body went limp as sleep claimed him.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Sasuke sat next to Naruto. Staring out the window, arms crossed, he closed his eyes. He knew he needed to sleep. He was just trying to wrap his mind around everything. Making a conscious effort, he quit thinking, letting himself dri to sleep, gripping a kunai in his hand.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Akeifa sat, staring out the dark window. Eyes dark, his mind was a million miles away. As a demon, he had the luxury of not needing sleep. However, he liked to sleep to escape reality...especially when he wasn't with Ryou. But not this time...this time he needed all the time he could have to think on how to defeat this bitch. _We lost our_ _lead._ His eyes cut to Red, who was just sitting, arms crossed, staring out the window. _I don't know how long I can keep him in check. He is truly out of control. She was his anchor._ Sighing, he held the bunny close. _Not again, Ryou...I can't lose you again._ Looking around, seeing that no one was watching, he pulled the bunny close,smelling in Ryou's scent. _Lock, I will find you. I won't lose you. Not anymore. Even if it means I have to sacrifice_ _everyone else on this jet._

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Aeon came over, sitting down next to Yami. "I...I got the ring you had set for me. It's perfect...thank you." she looked sadly on the ring box. Yami smiled at her, wrapping his hand around hers.

"We will find her. I promise you that." Yami smiled kindly.

Yugi's eyes looked at Yami out of the corner, but he said nothing. Yugi heard what Yami said...and what he didn't say. _Just because we find her, doesn't mean we will bring her home._ Yugi sighed in frustration. He was desperately trying to figure out his powers. _I mean, if I am Osiris, then I gotta have some powers, right? What if I_ _don't figure them out in time?_ Looking around the jet, he closed his eyes, and leaned his head back. He could feelthe power tingling in his skin...but he couldn't figure out how to harness that power...how to release it. And he didn't know who could show him. He hoped he wouldn't have to wait for the powers to just...appear...that could be devastating. _With my luck, I'll learn how to do something really important...right after the time I needed to do_ _it passed._

Yugi blinked, noticing Aeon had walked off. Looking over at Yami, he noticed the taller man watching him with kind eyes. Yugi smiled up at him. "Wonder when we are ever gonna get a break, huh?"

Yami smiled at him. "I can definitely say it has not been dull." Leaning down, he kissed Yugi on the nose.

Yugi frowned at him. "My nose is going to get chapped if you keep doing that."

Yami smirked. "Good." He kissed Yugi's nose again.

Seto looked over at the two, Joey's head on his shoulder, drool from his mouth dribbling down his chin. Rolling his eyes, Seto said nothing, just went back to typing on his laptop.

Yugi looked at Seto. "What are you doing?" He crawled over, sitting in Yami's lap. Yami wrapped his arms around Yugi, nuzzling his neck.

Seto kept typing. "I am searching newspaper reports, blogs, anything I can find to see if anyone has ever reported anything like a chaos demon before. Trying to get information on how to best defeat her."

Yugi nodded. Looking up at Yami, he cocked an eyebrow. "So...are you going to tell me about Betty Lou _YamYam_?" Yugi tried to stop bristling, but it was hard.

Yami looked puzzled. "Betty Lou? She's the Master of Memphis, Tennessee. I've known her for over a thousand years. Mai sired her. She's sweet, if a bit... _southern American_." Yami grimaced thinking about the last visit he had with Betty Lou. She insisted he try sweet tea...she called it black tea...and he didn't come off the sugar high for at least a week.

"Yea, but what about _YamYam_?" Yugi tried to keep his voice neutral, but it must not have worked because Yami started laughing.

"Yugi...are you... _jealous_? Oh, dear, naïve Aibou, there is no reason for you to be jealous." Pulling Yugi closer, he kissed Yugi's nose again. Yugi pouted, wiping his nose, crossing his arms.

"Hmph...sounds like she wants to be closer to you than you realize. I think _you_ are the naïve one."

Yami smiled, holding Yugi close. Resting his chin on Yugi's head, he tried to relax as Yugi continued to pout adorably. Closing his eyes, he held Yugi. After a while, he heard Yugi's breathing slow. Opening his eyes, he saw his Aibou was asleep, Seto still typing, the varying colored lights in a rainbow on his face from the screen.

 _Seto...have you found anything?_

 _Not yet._ Seto kept typing and scrolling.

 _How are you holding up?_

 _Fine. Not happy to be traveling to America._

Yami grunted. _Don't pull this macho shit with me Seto._

Seto's cobalt eyes stopped reading and looked up, catching crimson. _Fine. I am terrified something is going to_ _happen to Joto. I am scared I won't be able to protect her and Joey. I am scared I am going to lose you, Cousin. Happy now?_

Yami's crimson eyes held the cobalt. _For someone with such a cold exterior, you truly have a compassionate_ _nature._

Seto glared at Yami. _For someone who is the oldest vampire, you are terribly naïve._

Yami smiled down at Yugi, sleeping. _I worry for his safety too. Just because he's a demigod, doesn't mean he's_ _invincible...Just immortal for normal means._

Seto risked a look at Joey. Risking a gentle kiss on Joey's cheek, he looked back to Yami. _I know...all this time I_ _thought I was searching for Kisara, and actually...I was searching for him._

Yami smiled then closed his eyes. _You're a sentimental old fool._

As Yami drifted to sleep, _I learned from the best._

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Red sat, glaring. He was going to get Allea back. He'd kill Maelstrom if he got the chance, but his first priority was getting Allea back. Looking around the jet, he saw most were sleeping, or pretending to sleep...only Seto was still awake. Well, Seto and Akeifa, who was... _petting a bunny?_ Shaking his head, he looked back out the window.

 _He sat, panting. He had run...there were too many, and they were using spells. He had taken out at least twenty when those...cowards...had come with light magic spellcasters. Taking refuge behind a tree, he heard humming. Peeking around the tree, he saw a woman with beautiful blue wings. She was sitting at a fountain, lost in thought. Suddenly, she stood and turned, as if she sensed someone watching her. Smiling at him, she walked over to him. He backed away._

 _"Are you okay?" she had asked, her brown eyes full of concern. He said nothing, skeptical. "Your arm, it's bleeding. Let me take a look at it." Reaching out, she put her hand on his shoulder. He couldn't explain it, he just...let her touch him. Looking at the wound, she smiled. "Here, this shouldn't hurt too much." Placing a hand_ _on his shoulder, she closed her eyes, a light blue mist snaking from her fingertips, stitching the skin back in place. Opening her eyes, she smiled._

" _There...all better. I'm Allea, by the way. And you are?"_

 _He didn't know why, but he answered. "I'm Red."_

 _"It's very nice to meet you Red."_

 _The scene changed in a swirling mass of purples and blacks_

 _"My pet...I will make you more powerful than you can imagine_

 _Red looked up at those eyes. Those eyes loved him. Those eyes wanted him. Those eyes would be with him forever. He wasn't good enough for the angel...he_ _ **was**_ _a demon. They were natural enemies after all._

 _"Yes, Mistress." Red leaned in to her hand running down his face, gently._

 _"Now, we will go storm the Heavens, take over, and kill the angels who do not surrender."_

Chapter 3: Meeting Crowe

 _"No...please..." Akeifa was pleading, blood dripping down his face, holding Ryou. Eyes pleading, he stared at Yugi. "Please, save him. I can't do this. Not again."_

 _Yugi just looked at Akeifa. "I...I'm sorry...I can't."_

 _"Yugi...please..." Yugi's eyes went wide. No. Not him...not that voice...Turning slowly, he saw Yami reaching out to him. "Please...you have to, Aibou."_

 _Yugi's eyes overflowed with tears. "I...I don't know how."_

 _Yami gripped his hand. "Please, Aibou...please. Don't let everyone die..." As the last word left his lips, Yami's body went gray, the pressure in Yugi's hand disintegrating to nothing as Yami's whole body turned to ash, blowing away. The ash swirling through the air, Yugi's eyes watched as his life floated away on the wind._

Yugi jolted up, looking around, trying to get his bearings. He...was on the jet. He was the only one that he could tell that was awake. _Why is there a bunny in Akeifa's shirt?_

Yami's head was bowed down, nestled in Yugi's shoulder. _Guess my jolt didn't wake him up. Good._ Looking over, he saw that even Seto had his eyes shut, chin on his chest. Yugi smirked. All these undead like to say that they didn't need sleep. But, they all still had a brain, and the brain resets itself in sleep. So Yugi didn't buy that they didn't need sleep. Maybe they could last longer than normal, living beings, but they still had to sleep. Now, as far as the demons...Yugi risked another glance at Akeifa and Red. That he didn't know...he didn't even know what they were.

Feeling someone's eyes on him, he looked up. Joey was awake, staring at him. "You okay, Joey?"

Joey grimaced. "No. I'm hungry and there's nobody I can get blood from here. I miss hamburgers, Yug'."

Yugi grinned at the pathetic face Joey was making. "So, going back to America...you excited?"

Joey grinned. "Yea, a little...I was so little when we moved ta Domino, I don't 'member much. We moved around...we lived in Missouri for about six months. I remember goin' ta Six Flags though, dat was fun!"

Yugi smiled. Seto moved, laying his head on Joey's shoulder. Joey smiled at Seto, then frowned. "Yug'...I'm worried about Joto...I don' know if she's scared, or sick, or hurt..." Pain came to his eyes. Yugi frowned, his heart going out to his oldest friend.

 _"This is your Captain speaking. We will be landing in fifteen minutes. Time now is three fifty two p.m. ETA is four oh seven p.m. Weather is cool, temperature is forty degrees Fahrenheit, sunset is five oh seven p.m. We will leave the sunlight proof glass on the windows until five oh nine p.m. We have ensured that no one will board until after sunset."_

Everyone started rustling around, getting their things together. Yami lifted his head, kissing Yugi on the nose. Yugi frowned as Yami chuckled lightly.

Seto closed his laptop, securing it in his bag. Yami looked up as the flight attendant came out to him. "Good evening. You will have an hour before being able to depart due to the sun. We have prepared a meal for you all. Master Crowe will be here around five thirty."

Yami smiled at her. "Thank you."

The jet landed, and everyone was served their dinner. Joey frowned at the mug of blood he had, looking over and seeing the bloody steak that Yami was eating. Seto frowned and picked up his steak that he hadn't cut into yet. It was rare as well. Looking to Joey, he offered it to him. "Ah, Seto, ya know I can't eat dat."

Seto rolled his eyes. "Try to suck the blood out of the steak, mutt. It may make it a bit more enjoyable for you."

Joey growled. He did take the steak and suck a little, getting some of the blood...which had the meat flavor Joey had been missing. Frowning, he sucked and licked it until all the blood was gone. "Tanks." he muttered, as Seto finished eating the rest of his food that was on his plate. "No problem."

Naruto shoveled his food down. "C'mon, let's go!" he stood up. Sasuke just looked up at him.

"Sit down, Knucklehead. We can't leave until the sun goes down."

"Yea we can...we aren't affected by the sun!" Naruto balled his hands into fists.

"I am sorry, Naruto, but Sasuke is right. None of you can leave until we meet with Crowe. I am surprised he will be up this early. He usually wakes up at midnight." Yami set his silverware down.

Akeifa crossed his arms. "Unfortunately he's bloody fucking right. If _any_ of us go walking through this area without checking in with that bloody fucking asshat, we will have his goons on us. We have to fucking check in because of our...powerful natures, or it's seen as if we are fucking trying to declare war."

Naruto glared. "Sasuke and I aren't vampires or demons! We're just shinobi...why can't we go on! Damnit!"

Akeifa coughed. "Yea...just shinobi my fucking ass. He breathes fire out of his mouth, you can fucking make hundreds of copies of yourself, and you both can walk on water...sorry Butters, but you and your Emo friend are just as supernatural as us demons, vampires, and dragons, so fuck off, sit down, and wait. We all are worried about somebody." Akeifa's eyes went dark and he took his knife, stabbing broccoli.

Naruto looked like he was going to explode. Sasuke looked at him, catching his eye, nodding slightly, eyes as dark as Akeifa's. Naruto flopped back on his seat, crossing his arms. "Damnit!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

At five thirty seven, when Naruto was ready to jump off the jet, Akeifa had taken to stabbing the seats, Red was shifting angrily, and the vampires waited, the door opened. Stepping in, a large, burly man with scruffy brown facial hair and dark black glasses walked on. He was wearing blue jeans, brown work boots, and a blue flannel shirt. Behind him came four men in black motorcycle boots, blue jeans and black leather motorcycle jackets. Yami stood, bowing, as did Seto.

"Eh, don't give me that bowing bullshit Yami. How ya been?" He took the glasses off, revealing pale blue eyes. Extending a hand, Yami took it, shaking it. Turning to Seto, he shook his hand as well.

"Well, we could be better. How is America going?" Yami stood in front of Yugi. Yugi's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Eh, one nation, under God, tearing itself apart. Ya know, the usual." Looking around, he nodded. "These all of yours coming?"

Yami nodded and made introductions. "This is Naruto and Sasuke, shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. This is Aeon, a dragon. There is Akeifa and Red, demons. Joey is a vampire like Seto and I. Damien is an angel. Ember, Roderic, Garnet, Quil, Kizsa, and Lyra are werewolves. Katsume, Snake, Hiro, Aster, Neko, and Mikain are wereleopards. Finally, Yugi..." he moved, exposing Yugi. "Yugi is a demigod."

Crowe's eyes widened slightly, then went back to normal. "Okay. I'll make the appropriate travel arrangements. Remember, you're responsible for this group. Where do you need to go?"

Yami looked around at his group. "I don't know..." He then proceeded to tell Crowe the story of what happened and why they were there in the first place. Crowe sat as the story was being told, his lackeys still standing behind him. Finally, at the end, he nodded.

"Now I see why you came here instead of Dyersburg." Crowe stared at Yami. "I will get you an unlimited pass."

Crowe turned and walked out, lackeys in the lead, pulling out his cellphone. Yami nodded, and everyone grabbed bags and headed out. It was a still night, and the temperatures were dropping. Yugi looked out...everything was so...small...this airport was no bigger than two city blocks. He followed Yami, everyone else following suit. Walking through the small terminal, he smiled at how... _quaint_...it was. There was a little restaurant they walked by that smelled of fried food that smelled...well, quite good actually. Looking at the sign, he saw that it said "Sandy's Place."

Walking out of the terminal, Yami saw that there were two dark grey vans sitting there, along with five motorcycles. Joey perked up at the motorcycles. Crowe turned to them. "I've secured these vans. Each seat twelve comfortably. Do you have American money, or do I need to convert?"

Yami looked at everyone, who looked back. Crowe nodded."Here." Handing a stack of bills to Yami, Yami handed him a pouch. Opening the pouch, Crowe smirked. "Keep the vans, too. Then we should be about even." Tossing the keys to Yami, he turned to get on the motorcycle as everyone started stowing bags. "Give me a couple minutes to get ahold of the other Masters."

Yami nodded, checking over the van. Opening the driver's side door, the new car smell infiltrated his nostrils. Everyone started piling in.

Crowe walked back up to Yami. "Got it done. You are clear everywhere but Washington, Massachusetts, and Michigan. Sorry, but those guys are assholes."

Yami nodded. "I will deal with them if we have to go there. Thank you, Crowe."

Crowe shrugged as Joey took the keys from Yami and climbed in the front seat, much to many protests. "Hey...I'm da only one from here!"

Crowe put on his sunglasses. Turning to go to his bike, he called to Yami. "Yami, the deal is that you report to me when you are done and leaving." Yami nodded.

Crowe started up the bike. As Yami was getting ready to crawl into the van, Crowe rode up by him. Stopping and taking Yami's arm, he spoke. "And then, Yami...we are even."

Yami nodded. "Agreed."

Chapter 4: Walking in Memphis

"Must we listen to this song...again?" Seto argued irritably as Joey hit repeat and the CD started the song over again...Joey glared and sang louder...

 _Put on my blue suede shoes and I boarded the plane_

 _Touched down in the land of the delta blues_

 _In the middle of the pouring rain_

"Well that would explain why I feel sick." Seto groused.

 _W.C. Handy, won't you look down over me?_

 _'Cause I got a first class ticket and I'm as blue as a boy can be_

 _I'm walking in Memphis_

 _I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale_

 _Walking in Memphis_

 _But do I really feel the way I feel?_

Seto sighed loudly, glaring at Joey. Joey kept his eyes on the road, singing louder.

 _Saw the ghost of Elvis down on Union Avenue_

Joey curled his lip, very Elvis-esque

 _Followed him up to the gates of Graceland_

 _Then I watched him walk right through_

 _Now security they did not see him_

 _They just hovered 'round his tomb_

"That's pretty lax security." Seto stared out the windshield.

 _But there's a pretty little thing waiting for the king_

 _Down in the jungle room_

"Roar." Seto frowned.

 _Walking in Memphis_

 _Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale_

 _Walking in Memphis_

 _But do I really feel the way I feel?_

Seto mumbled, loudly, "Yes, I do. Quit. Singing."

 _They've got catfish on the table_

"Which you can't eat." Seto cut his eyes to Joey, who ignored him.

 _They've got gospel in the air_

 _And Reverend Green, be glad to see you_

 _When you haven't got a prayer_

"You don't pray." Seto growled.

 _You've got a prayer in Memphis_

 _Now Muriel plays piano every Friday at the Hollywood_

 _And they brought me down to see her and they asked me if I would_

 _D o a little number and I sang with all my might_

"Please don't." Seto pleaded.

 _She said, "Tell me are you a Christian child?"_

 _And I said, "Ma'am I am tonight"_

Seto tossed his phone on the dash, crossing his arms.

 _Walking in Memphis_

 _Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale_

"Beale is just a place for humans to get drunk." Seto complained.

 _Walking in Memphis_

 _Do I really feel the way I feel?_

 _W alking in Memphis_

 _Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale_

 _Walking in Memphis_

 _Do I really feel the way I feel?_

 _Oh, walking in Memphis_

Joey went to hit repeat. Seto beat him to it and ripped the CD out of the player, rolling the window down and throwing the CD out the window. "Da fuq, Seto?" Joey growled. Seto went back to his cell phone, the light washing over his face as he scanned the internet. Joey gripped the steering wheel tighter and kept driving. "Asshole."

All of a sudden, Yugi started feeling like he was on a bumpy road. "Joey, what is going on? You are supposed to follow Interstate 55 to Memphis!"

"I am Yug'! The highway jest started being all bumpy!" Seto glared at the ceiling as if it was the ceiling's fault.

Yami closed his eyes. "This is such a long trip, and we are only about an hour and a half into it." Yugi leaned over on Yami in the back seat. "Yea. So, we gotta go meet Betty Lou Who?"

Yami pulled down the right side of his mouth. "Betty Sue. She is a very nice lady."

Yugi raised his right eyebrow so high it hid under his bang. "Uh-huh."

Akeifa and Red were sitting in the middle seat, thumb wrestling. Obviously they were taking out their frustrations, as several bone crushing pops were heard. Akeifa's voice counting to three could be heard, followed by a cackle when he won. They heard three pops on the seat followed by an "Oww" from Akeifa when Red hit Akeifa in the forehead (they assumed Red won those).

After about three hours of driving, they finally arrived in Memphis. Smiling at the Pyramid by the Mississippi River that shone silver in the moonlight, Yami started looking around. Finding the appropriate exit, he directed Joey on where to go. Pulling up in front of a spacious plantation style house, both vans parked, people piling out of the van. Stretching legs and arms, Yugi looked up when he heard an unmistakable southern drawl.

"YamYam!" This larger, voluptuous woman who looked like she stepped out of a Civil War movie was walking down the steps. She had on a large pale peach southern belle dress, with what looked like a full hoop skirt, bustle, and lace around the sleeves. Her blond hair was in banana curls with peach ribbons interwoven. She had on white lace gloves that went to her wrist. Her skin was the color of ivory, and she smiled, showing off very white, very pointed teeth.

Yami smiled as Yugi stiffened. Bowing to her, he took her hand, kissing it. Ignoring the pain in his side from Yugi's elbow, he smiled at her. "It's been a very long time Betty Sue."

"It sure has, YamYam...I thought you had forgotten me." Putting on a playful pout, she looked around at everyone. Spotting Yugi, she let out a loud squeal. "Well isn't he just the cutest little thing!" And before Yugi could stop her, she had Pinched. His. Cheeks. He scowled mercilessly. Suddenly her eyes locked on someone else. "Setooooo, helllooooo!" Sauntering over to him, she held out her hand for him to kiss. Seto bowed, bending to take her hand. She pulled him, quick as a flash, into a hug. Seto looked disturbed beyond measure.

"Karma's a biiiitch..." Joey whispered, smirking as he turned to the van to start getting luggage.

After unloading the vans...which she insisted her servants do ("Why have servants if they don't serve?") they all settled around her table. Yami was the first to speak. "So, anything else about the power surge?"

"No, honey, nothing else. I got the reports for you so you can go investigate the area. I really wish you would make up with Deon. You could have flown in to Memphis and been here quicker." She waved an old lace fan in front of her face.

Yami's mouth set in a hard line. "He started this, I did not. And...I tried to apologize. He's the one that sent the hunter after me."

Betty Sue sighed. "Yes, but if you would have just told him that girl fell in your bed, he would have believed you instead of assuming you were bedding his mate."

Yugi felt the blood rise to his head and pound in his temples. Yami continued. "I have never been attracted to anyone besides my Aibou." Not looking at Yugi, Yami grabbed his hand. "Deon refused to listen."

"Well, in any event, you should make up with him. He is the Master of Dyersburg and a nice buffer between me and Crowe." Betty Sue took a sip of...something...out of a china tea cup with little blue flowers on it.

Yami sighed. "So, how is Orry?"

A flash of...something...crossed her eyes. Her smile slipped, but then came back full force. "He is out right now, but he can't wait to see you! He always talks about that chess game you and he played and he beat you at." She swallowed her drink hard.

Yami smiled. "It was a draw. Anyways, where are those documents?"

"Oh, yes...here let me get them for you." Motioning to a servant, they brought her a stack of papers. She motioned for them to give the papers to Yami. He took them, smiling.

"Thank you." Looking through the papers, he handed them to Seto and looked up at her, eyes dark. "Why didn't you tell me the power was centered there?" he spat.

Looking up, her eyes were sad. "I'm sorry. I had no choice."

All of a sudden, eleven silver arrows appeared from nowhere, dropping Ember, Katsume, Roderic, Garnet, Hiro, Quil, Aster, Neko, Kizsa, Lyra and Mikain with a perfectly aimed shot between the eyes for each at the same time.

Yami stood, rage brimming, pulling Yugi behind him. "Everiel."

Aeon, Naruto, and Sasuke got into attack stances, Aeon's arms forming into claws.

Seto stood in front of Joey, a blue light coming off of him.

Damien stood, rage in his eyes, his wings expanding.

Red stood, red wings ripping out of his shirt.

Akeifa smirked, silver wings flaring. "Bring it on, fucker."

Chapter 5: Meeting Everiel

Akeifa yelled, as he jumped towards Everiel. "Don't let him make you bleed! He's a fucking Vampire Demon!"

Red glowered, running for Everiel. Everiel laughed lightly, jumping out of the way. Red slammed into the wall, support beams buckling.

Yami and Seto ran, in perfect unison, towards Everiel. At the last possible moment, Seto disappeared, appearing behind Everiel, Yami in front. Striking their fists toward Everiel, he dissolved into a mist, slithering away. Reappearing in the corner, he laughed, a manic cackle. Five more beings, with dark eyes appeared, black wings slithering out of their backs.

Naruto yelled, crossing his fingers, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Forty Naruto clones appeared, thirty-eight rushing Everiel as two helped Naruto to form his rasengan. While the clones attacked, Sasuke formed his chidori and rushed at Everiel. Running in unison, Naruto and Sasuke struck Everiel at the same time. Spinning out of control, he slammed into the wall.

Red grabbed a lackey. Grinning a blood thirsty grin, Red opened his mouth, eyes black. "Cover your fucking ears!" Akeifa yelled as all quickly covered up their ears, except for Damien and Akeifa. Letting out a deafening roar, Red yelled right in the lackey's face. Right before their eyes, the lackey's head seemed to shrink, veins bulging, as the lackey's head exploded, blood, bone, and muscle flying. One eye went flying, landing near Akeifa. The other landed near Everiel. Red grabbed a second lackey and crushed his head like an orange. Completely covered in blood, Red turned, looking for another victim. Everiel dissipated into mist.

Seeing this, the lackeys started trying to run. "Oh, no ya don't." Akeifa smirked evilly, grabbing one as he ran by. Staring in his eyes, the lackey seemed to go limp, screaming in terror. As Akeifa leered, the lackey whimpered trying to run, but being unable to escape Akeifa's grasp, he instead started clawing at his eyes. After clawing those eyes out of the sockets, blood pouring down his face, Akeifa snapped the lackey's neck. Bending over, he picked up the eyeball, pocketing it.

Seto simply grabbed one, savagely puncturing it's neck. After tasting it, he offered it to Joey. Joey greedily grabbed it, drinking deeply.

Yami ran to the other. The lackey got a lucky kick in on Yami. Yugi's eyes blazed. Grabbing the lackey's arm, Yugi frowned. The lackey whimpered. Yugi's mouth formed into a thin line. Gripping the arm tighter, the lackey's face went white. Eyes bulging, he started to sweat. Grabbing the lackey's crotch, he gripped tightly, and pulled, blood pooling down the lackey's legs. Holding the lackey's testicles in his hand, he put them up in the lackey's face.

"Don't. Ever. Touch. Him. And yes, I'm handing you your balls." The lackey went pale, passing out. Yugi threw the testicles on top of the lackey. Joey finished up with the other lackey, then went to feeding on the ball-less one.

Yami stood, eyes blazing. Betty Sue was cowering in a corner. Stalking over to her, Yami jerked her up by the arm. Fangs bared, he glared at her. "I thought we were friends." he growled.

Whimpering, genuine tears flowed down her face. "Th..they ha...ha..have Orry!" she wailed. Yami's face softened. Seto crossed his arms.

"Betty Sue, why didn't you just tell us?" Yami asked softer, but still with an edge to his voice. Betty Sue was sniffling.

"Who the fuck is Orry, and why the fuck are we not killing this bitch right now?" Akeifa was playing with the eyeball, tossing it back and forth between his hands. Looking at Red, he walked over. "Uh, big guy...ya got some brains in your hair...and maybe a piece of skull." Red ran a hand through his hair, flicking brains everywhere.

Yami stared at Betty Sue, who was covered in blood, blubbering. "Orry is her husband, and her sire."

Looking at Betty Sue, she looked up, eyes glassy. "Yami..I'm..I'm soo sorry...I..I didn't know what to do."

Yami looked at Betty Sue. "We'll get him back."

Betty Sue looked at Yami. "Really?" she sniffed.

Yami nodded. Yugi grabbed Yami's arm. "Can we speak, privately?" Leading Yami off, Yugi looked at him as they walked outside. "What the _fuck_ is that about Yami?" Anger was brimming off of him.

Yami looked shocked at the anger. "What do you mean?"

Yugi glared. "She led us to slaughter. How can you trust her? You almost died because of her!"

Yami sighed, looking sadly at Yugi. "Aibou, I would do the same thing for you...I would do anything to save you...even betray Seto."

Yugi's eyes grew wide. "Yami, that's not right...he's family!"

Yami pulled Yugi into a hug, kissing him longingly. "Yes, but you are my world."

Yugi looked down, ashamed. Yami put a finger under Yugi's chin, li ing it. Yugi looked at him with wide eyes. Bending down, Yami whispered, "Know what else?" Yugi stared at Yami, not blinking, shaking his head. Yami leaned so close...and kissed his nose.

Yugi pouted and turned away, stomping back into the house. Damien sighed, walking over to Yami. "I think that we may very well need to get moving..." Yami nodded.

"Everybody, load up. We're going to a hotel."

As they were ready to get into the van, Seto spoke up. "Perhaps we should shower here...so as not to get blood everywhere." Looking around at the rag tag bunch, all were indeed covered in some kind of blood...some more than others...but none as much as Red, who was living up to his namesake. Betty Sue ushered them to rooms, and everyone bathed quickly.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

After about an hour and a half, everyone was clean and all started piling in one van, since there were now only eleven of them.

Driving through the dark night, the van was silent. Finally, Sasuke looked at Akeifa. "What's a vampire demon?" Naruto yawned, but looked up.

Akeifa crossed his arms, staring out the window. "A vampire demon is a bastard of a demon that, if it comes into contact and drinks some blood, can gain the powers of the poor sumbitch it is drinking from. So, I guess that's why that fucker didn't kill any of us...he wanted to get some of our powers for himself."

"So, wait...he's not a real vampire?" Naruto asked, scrunching up his forehead.

"No, blondie...they are called that cause they drink the blood." Akeifa huffed, pulling the eyeball out. Setting it on Naruto's hand, he started laughing. "Look, I got my eye on you!" He laughed quite loudly, enjoying his own joke.

Naruto scowled and scrunched down in his seat, crossing his arms. Sasuke sat, looking out in the dark night. Joey was still driving. "Uh, guys...where am I goin'?"

Yami chuckled. "I'll let you know where you need to turn." Joey nodded. After a few minutes, Yami sat up, giving directions. Pulling up in front of another large plantation a couple hours away, Yami stepped out. "Hopefully Jax will be here."

Stepping out of the van, Yugi looked up to see a medium height woman with dark red hair down to her mid back, dressed in black pants and a black form fitting shirt. Smiling at Yami, she looked over the group. "Looks like you all need to lay low." Her green eyes shone.

Yami smiled, eyes troubled. "Yes, we do."

"C'mon. But wait in the foyer for Edward."

Yami led everyone into the foyer and they stood, looking around at the comfortable room, decorated in rich reds, silvers, and blacks. Coming out of the shadows was a taller man with reddish brown hair and a goatee, blue jeans, and a long sleeved olive shirt, with no shoes or socks. Shaking Yami's hand, he never broke eye contact.

"Edward." Yami stated. "I believe you know some of my party, but the rest is..Akeifa, Red, Damien, Joey, and Yugi." He motioned to each as he introduced them.

Edward nodded to each. "What brings you here Yami? What trouble are you bringing to our door?"

Yami sighed. "We are trying to find Maelstrom."

Edward's face didn't change. "Who's that?"

Yami sighed more. Jax walked up. "Why don't you all come in, and you can let us know what's up. Crowe didn't say much, but we expected you...though not until tomorrow."

"Yea...well, Orry is missing and Everiel attacked."

Edward walked off, face not changing. Jax looked after him, then glared at Yami. "Why the hell did you bring him up?"

Yami frowned. "I'm sorry, but I am trying to be honest. Betty Sue set us up, I want to be transparent."

Jax frowned more. "Betty Sue isn't like that."

"Yes, but Everiel has Orry."

Jax's mouth formed a determined line. "Follow me." Taking everyone downstairs, she showed them rooms. "I'll get more information on Everiel and his plans. We'll have it by tonight. Sunrise is in an hour, so I would suggest staying here."

Nodding, everyone retired to their rooms with their partners, if applicable.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Do you think they're coming?" A timid voice questioned.

"Yes, they'll be here." A soft British voice answered.

"Well... _half_ of them will be...I took out the other half." Everiel's menacing voice filled the dark room.

"W..who did you take out?" The soft British voice was full of worry.

"Don't worry about that. I killed eleven..at least I killed the white haired one."

Allea glared at the voice, as Ryou whispered, "I don't believe you."

"Really?" Everiel flipped on the light, making them all flinch.

Taking something out of his pocket, he tossed it to Ryou. Ryou looked at it, sobbing. It was Akeifa's eye.

Chapter 6: Rogue Network

"Can I say dat dis is bullshit?" Joey growled for the twentieth time. Seto rolled over, one cobalt eye shining from the mass of bangs.

"Joey, Jax is the best rogue I know, and Edward the best assassin. They will get us information. Now be quiet, Puppy." Closing his eyes, he stretched, skin pulling taut over his muscles. Joey eyed his form greedily, but turned to the wall, for fear of losing track of his concentration...and his anger.

"Really? I thought dat Ji-Jin was da best." Joey wrapped his arms around himself, chubby arms haunting his memories.

"Really." Seto huffed, sitting up. "He was. Emphasis on was. So now they are." He stated this so matter of factly, Joey had to look up in surprise.

"Are you really dat unfeeling?" Joey frowned.

Seto frowned right back. "No, I'm not. However, I have seen a lot of people die. It's a fact of life. It's why I don't let most people close."

Joey looked curiously at Seto. "Den why me?" He turned, facing Seto.

Seto let out a long sigh, looking down. "I don't know. Probably because you are annoying."

Joey growled and tackled Seto. "You're such an ass at times, ya know dat?" Pinning Seto, he looked mildly pleased, until Seto flipped him, straddling Joey. Smirking, he leaned down. "What was that?" Seto asked, eyes twinkling.

Joey pouted. "Ya don't play fair. I can't try to legitimately get outta dis ting...cause I'd hurt ya."

Seto twerked his head to the le just the slightest. "All's fair in love and war." Sliding off Joey, he walked to the bathroom. "Time to get up and dressed, I hear movement."

Joey growled and stood, slipping on clothes.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Everyone assembled rather quickly, as if they could just _sense_ that it was time to meet up. Jax and Edward were there, in black pants and long, black sleeved shirts. Yami walked to them. "Good evening. Were you able to find out anything?"

Jax nodded. "Last time Maelstrom was seen here was about three years ago. She bought up a lot of property, but never explained why. She's been gathering henchmen from hell..." Jax eyed Akeifa and Red. Akeifa tossed the eyeball up in the air, catching it and smiling. Red held his ground. "And Everiel decided to help her...along with some one else that no one can seem to get a name of."

Yami turned, pacing. "Wonderful. Just wonderful. Do we know where she bought this property?"

Jax looked to Edward. He handed Yami a stack of papers. Yami took them, looking through them. Yugi peered over his shoulder, seeing they were all color printouts from the internet; it looked like Google Earth.

Raising an eyebrow, Yami held up the papers in his right hand. "Are these the locations?"

Edward nodded. Yami bowed. "Thank you both. Do we know why Everiel is helping her? He's usually a lone wolf."

"Everiel is working with someone called Orochimaru."

Naruto and Sasuke stood, anger flaring off of him. "That bastard!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke's fists were starting to show white knuckles. Turning to Yami, Naruto glared. "That's why the girls were taken. Orocimaru is a former ninja of the Leaf. He became power hungry, obsessed with immortality, and went rogue, forming his own village, The Sound Village. He's a lying snake who can't be trusted!"

Yami nodded, taking all this in. "It seems that there may be more at play than we knew before. Thank you Jax, anything else?"

Jax shook her head no.

"Now." He crossed his arms, papers still in his right hand, "What do we owe you?"

Edward looked right at Yami as Jax looked slightly uncomfortable. "I get Everiel."

Yami didn't even blink. "Fine."

Nodding, Edward walked off. Jax sighed. "Ok, well, we have food if you all would like to eat before leaving. Oh, and Yami..." Yami turned to her, a questioning look on his face, "we have black tea, especially for you." She smirked, Yami rolled his eyes.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Standing around eleven graves, there was silence. Each person grieved or paid respects in their own way. Yugi was crying for his fallen prowl, as was Joey. Yami looked pained at the fallen werewolves. Seto stood by impassively. Looking to Snake, Yugi sniffed. "W..would you let Alpha know?"

Snake nodded, saying nothing. _Alpha, five of ours are dead. I am the only one left. All the wolves perished. The_ _vampires, ninjas, and demons are still alive._

The pain could be felt through the link. _Th...thank you...We will give a proper ceremony when you return._ _P..please return._

Snake said nothing, stared at the graves. The wind whipping through his shoulder length hair, the eyepatch covering his right eye hiding the tear that slipped out.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Back in the van, all crammed in one, Aeon was the first to speak. "How do we know this information is right and that we aren't walking into a trap?"

Naruto grunted. "With Orochimaru, it probably is a trap." Sasuke said nothing, eyes dark.

Yami pulled Yugi into his lap, running fingers down Yugi's arm gently. "Jax is involved in the Rogue Network. Their information is top notch, and _very_ expensive. I have never had wrong information from them."

Red simmered in anger, stewing in his seat. Damien scooted away half an inch, eyeing Red out of the corner of his eye.

Akeifa sat, looking out the window. He was half listening to the conversation, but his mind drifted to Ryou. Fists balling, he glared into the night. They better not have touched him, or he would destroy them.

Snake sat, taking all of this in. He was angry that his comrades were taken down, angry that they didn't have a proper burial, and just angry in general. He understood time constraints and the importance of the living, but he did not appreciate the inability to mourn the dead. He kept twirling his lucky bullet in his hand, glaring out at the night.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Sitting up, Allea looked worriedly at the two ninjas. They still were not awake. She had already tried to heal them, but a powerful magic bound them to unconsciousness. Looking to Kurasha, she frowned at the female dragon, bound in binding chains, welts starting to appear where the chains had rubbed. Holding Joto, Allea fed the baby, who was giggling. She was thankful that they left the baby with them...she could not imagine the horrors her mind would conjure if she couldn't see that sweet baby. Ryou had walked over, looking at Allea.

"D..do you think that is Key's eye?" he mumbled, hair in his face, voice barely above a whisper.

"No, Ryou...I don't. I really don't. I think they are messing with you. Akeifa is a dangerous demon, and I do not believe that Everiel could ..." quickly, Allea handed the baby to Ryou as the door opened. Turning, she glared at Everiel.

He smirked. "My, my...not a warm welcome, is it Allea?"

She said nothing, crossing her arms, stepping in front of Ryou.

"Do you know why we don't shackle you?" he questioned, quietly.

Allea said nothing, not giving him bait.

Slamming a hand toward her, power flew from his palm and she flew backwards, bones crunching against the welled up in her as her vision swam. She dare not use her powers, she didn't want them to know that whatever force field they had was not stopping her nor impeding her magic as it had Ryou's.

He walked over to her. "Because you're a fallen angel. You're weak. You couldn't even protect yourself...you had to have Red do that for you." Kicking her, she heard a snap and felt a rib dislodge. Coughing, she heard Ryou gasp, stepping towards her. She held out a hand to stop him.

Standing gingerly, holding her rib, she stared at Everiel, saying nothing.

Walking over, he punched her right in her solar plexus, making her gasp for air, knees buckling. Falling to the ground, catching herself with her hands, her hair hung in her face. Stepping over her, Everiel crouched, dropping something at her feet. "No one is going to protect you now." he whispered, before getting up and walking out. Blinking back the tears, Allea looked at what had been thrown down. Gasping, gagging, and starting to sob, she held a human finger with a silver ring with a deep red stone...a ring she had given Red.

Chapter 7: Bread Crumbs

"I'm stoppin' here." Joey announced.

Seto looked at his phone. "We are about a mile away from the first house."

Nodding, Yami looked at everyone. "Are we all ready to go?"

Every head nodded. Yami looked back at them all, nodding as well. As they all got out of the van, they headed north silently.

Slinking up silently on the house was actually quite easy. Joey had somehow become more graceful in his transition to daywalker. As the group spread out, they circled the house. Red's wings ripped from his back, as did Akeifa's. Glowering, they flew silently towards the house. Yami sighed. Those two were ready for a fight.

After surveying the quite empty looking house, it was decided that they would go in through the basement. Akeifa flew to the roof, much to Yami's dismay. Ok, so everyone _but_ Akeifa would go in through the basement. Rounding to the door, the vampires dissolved into mist, sliding under the door. Damien, Snake, Naruto, Sasuke, and Aeon waited until the door swung silently open. Slinking in, the inky darkness bled into the night of the open door. There was a smell of death, decay, and leather. As they snuck around the house, they were keenly listening for any sound. Naruto looked to Sasuke. "Don'tcha think that _no_ sound is suspicious?" he whispered. Sasuke nodded, kunai at the ready.

Yugi walked near the back, while Seto walked near the front. Yami brought up the rear, checking behind them to make sure that someone or something did not crawl behind them. As they reached the back of the house, Sasuke motioned for all to stop. As the entourage stopped, Sasuke motioned to a door where there was a crack of faint light seeping from underneath.

Listening at the door, they heard quiet sobbing. Raising an eyebrow, Naruto slammed through the door. Blinking, Ryou looked up. "No!" He yelled. Naruto looked up, blinking, as the ceiling started to cave. Red surveyed the scene and rushed in past Naruto, shoving him out as he ran for Ryou. The ceiling collapsed.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

After the dust cleared, all anyone saw was rubble. "Nooooo!" Yami yelled, starting to hurl pieces of ceiling out of the way.

Seto sighed. "Cousin, you know he couldn't have survived that collapse." Yami dug anyway. Seto nodded his head, but started digging as well.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Hearing his lover's scream, Akeifa flew down, finding his party standing on the rubble that was a ceiling, and a frantic Yami scrambling through rubble. Akeifa's eyes went dark. Scanning the rubble, he searched. Damien said nothing, but was poised, ready.

"Where the fuck is he?" Akeifa growled, becoming frantic. Throwing pieces, people dodging ceiling parts, Akeifa looked like a wild animal searching. "Not again Lock...not again..." His voice was shaking.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Covering Ryou's body with his, Red looked down. The boy looked tired, minor scratches, but he should be okay. Listening, he heard scuffling above him, and Akeifa's frantic voice. Rising up, he protected Ryou. crawling out of the rubble. When he stood, he realized that he came out behind them all, and he could see the rescue attempts. Walking over, none too quietly, he tapped Akeifa's shoulder. Akeifa turned around, seeing Ryou, he looked to Red, then Ryou, then Red. He grabbed Ryou. "Thank you." Turning, he saw Damien approach. "Heal him?" Akeifa asked in a rather pleading voice. Damien nodded, running hands over him. Ryou started to stir, coughing a bit. Opening chocolate eyes, he just stared at Akeifa. Akeifa gently picked him up, hugging him.

"Lock, are you okay?" Akeifa stared with worried eyes. Ryou nodded, smiling, hugging Akeifa.

"Key, I thought you were dead...this man handed me your eye." Tears slipped from Ryou's eyes.

Yami came over. "Ryou, I am pleased you are well, but _where is everyone else_?"

Ryou sniffled. "I...I don't know...they took everyone else, leaving me in this room alone. Yami! Maelstrom took over Betty Sue's body! You can't trust her if you meet her. They kept us in her basement!"

The silence that crashed over the people as the wave of realization was deafening.

Red trembled, rage coursing through him. Looking to Red, Ryou swallowed. "Red...she's alive. She is taking care of the baby. They've left Joto with us. Allea still had her powers."

Red glowered, crushing a chunk of concrete like it was nothing.

Yami came up, looking at Red. "We will find her, I promise you that."

Akeifa walked up to Red. "You saved Ryou, I am in your debt. I promise you, we will find her. We will bring her back to you, alive and well. I swear that."

Red stared at Akeifa, saying nothing.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Do you think they fell for it?" Staring at the blond, the tall black haired female checked the surroundings. Ravyn still wasn't used to the body jumping, so she has been choosing women who resembled her prior self.

"Of course they fell for it. Yami treated me like we were old friends." Maelstrom smirked.

"What about Everiel? What do you plan to do with him?" Satisfied that no one was around, she turned back to the blond.

"He has some very special skillsets. I want him to absorb the others powers so I can take him over, of course." Looking at her peach colored nails, Maelstrom wrinkled her nose. She hated pink. And peach. And anything really girly.

"Why did you leave the boy?"

"Are you questioning my every move?" Eyes narrowed dangerously.

"N...no, of course not...I just don't understand why we worked so hard to get them to just leave one behind..." The raven haired Amazon backed up slightly.

Ignoring the dark girl, Maelstrom sighed. "Now, I want you to go keep Orochimaru occupied until I get what I need." Maelstrom stood. "I have more things to do."

Bowing, the girl left. Maelstrom stood, looking out the window. _If I can just get them to the Summit..._ Smirking, she picked at the lace on her dress. This body was very useful...even if she did have to deal with lace and being called Betty Sue. Smirking, she looked in the mirror. They had been right over their comrades and didn't even know.

She was proud of herself for the success of the obvious. Now...narrowing her eyes, she started to think... _Where_ _would they go next?_ Fluffing her hair, fixing the peach makeup, she smirked and looked out at the debaucheryoccurring on the street below. _I always loved Bourbon Street._

Chapter 8: Pit Stop

"So, where to now?" Seto asked, looking through the pictures. "Ryou, did they say anything you can remember about where they were going?"

Ryou was sitting next to Akeifa, between Akeifa and Red. "They didn't really talk much around us." the white haired spellcaster responded.

Sitting in the back, Damien was staring out the window. Something about this whole situation did not sit well with him. Maelstrom taking captives, making them run all over the United States...it all seemed so... _pointless; a_ _red herring._

Yami sat silently, arms crossed. His brain was trying to process this situation. _Where next, indeed..._ Yugi yawned.

Snake pulled out a cigar lighting it. As the smoke curled around his head, he cracked the window for the smoke to be pulled out. Deep in thought, he said nothing.

Joey was deathly silent. He hadn't said anything since leaving the house. Seto's eyes kept cutting to him, but Joey stared into the dark, silent. Seto was worried, to say the least. Joey was _never_ quiet.

"Is everyone okay? How was she able to move you all so fast?" Naruto asked the question he had been wanting to ask since seeing Ryou, but not being able to be heard over all the chaos.

Ryou sighed. "I don't know...she had a force field around us, so I couldn't cast. Your ninjas are still unconscious but fine, being fed, and taken care of. Joto was fine, and, like I said, for some reason Allea wasn't affected. However, they were very careful to make sure we were fed well. The only one that has been in...everyone is fine." Ryou uncomfortably looked away.

"The only one that has been what?" Naruto pushed.

"I..I don't know if it's accurate, as I don't know what exactly happened to the ninjas, so my statement would be false." Ryou stammered, worriedly wringing his hands. Seto's eyes snapped up.

Akeifa sighed. "Lock, spill it...otherwise someone in this fucker's gonna die."

Ryou bowed his head. "The only one to have been hurt was Allea, physically. She was thrown against a wall, kicked, and hit in her solar plexus." he whispered, scooting away from Red into Akeifa's lap. Everyone heard snapping as the arm rest was ripped off.

There was an angry silence in the van. Finally, it was Joey who broke the silence. "Dere usin' da people as bread crumbs...as a trail." Joey growled. "She's leadin' us somewhere. Leavin' just enough to keep us goin'." Seto's eyes grew wide at Joey's revelation. Mutt was much smarter than he gave himself credit for.

Seto picked up a picture they had gotten from Jax. "Let's head to Georgia. There is a small business here that looks promising."

Joey stopped to get gas as everyone piled out to go in and get various snacks, relieve themselves, and just to stretch their legs. Standing out by the van, Seto walked over to Joey. "We are going to find her, Puppy." Seto whispered, looking to Joey. Joey's eyes were hard.

"And what if we don't, Seto? I failed her. I'm her dad an' I couldn't protect her." Joey wrapped his hands under his armpits as a cool breeze came through.

"Hey...I failed her too then. I wasn't able to protect her either." Seto said quietly, reaching out to run a hand down Joey's arm.

"Ya didn't fail her. Ya don't owe her anyting...I'm da one who is supposed ta always be dere for her...and I fucked up." Joey's voice shook in anger as unwanted memories plagued his brain. A sweet smile ran through his head. _I_ _am so sorry Serenity._

Seto stepped back as if slapped. Eyes cold, he turned and walked away without another word, his trench coat flapping in the breeze.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Aeon had been about to come around the van when she heard it. The small mewling sound. Turning, she looked for the source of the sound. Holding the bag of chips and the bottle of water in her hands, she headed off towards the sound. It sounded like a kitten. Rounding the corner, she ran right into a man...whimpering, she tried to back away, only to back into the arms of the thin brown haired lady.

"You are in such trouble." The man said, slipping golden cuffs on Aeon's arms before Aeon realized it. With a wince, she realized they were anti transforming bracelets. Looking in terror at the man, he stood, nose to nose. "Where is Kurasha?" Whimpering, Aeon shook her head side to side. "One. Last. Time. Where is Kurasha?" He squeezed her arms, forming a bruise.

"I...I don't know." Aeon whispered. "We are trying to find her. Please, Ciacto, let me find her."

Smirking, Ciacto held her arm tighter. "Oh...you will find her." As his body started melting away, forming a shapeless gray form, Aeon opened her mouth to scream. The brown haired woman covered Aeon's mouth. As all the color started to leave Aeon's body, the gray mass that Aeon called Ciacto started to reform into a human shape. As all the color and life drained from Aeon, Ciacto looked to the other girl. "Check her pockets. Then, destroy her."

Nodding the woman searched through the clothes as she handed them to Ciacto. After finishing the transformation, Ciacto looked to the girl. "How do I look?"

The woman smiled and nodded. "Don't forget the voice."

Ciacto nodded. "How about now?"

"Sounds good Aeon. Don't forget your snacks." Picking up the water and chips, she handed them to Aeon.

The doppelganger smiled. "Thanks."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi crawled back into the van, Yami right behind him. No one else was there, and Seto and Joey were talking outside. Sitting down, Yugi looked at Yami. "You need to feed." he said gently.

Yami nodded. "But I worry about draining you, Aibou." he murmured.

Yugi smiled. "I think I will be okay." The amethyst shone up at Yami as he leaned his head over, exposing his neck and the carotid. Licking his suddenly dry lips, Yami nodded. Leaning over, he sunk his fangs deep in Yugi's neck as he grabbed Yugi's waist. Yugi let out a moan as he suddenly felt his member twitch at the feeling of Yami's hands on his body and teeth in his neck.

Yami's eyes rolled back in his head. The taste was more exquisite than before, power sizzling through it now, along with innocence, sweetness and the essence of Yugi. Gripping Yugi's waist, Yami pulled him close. Pulling away, eyes dark, Yami stopped.

"Please...Yami.." Yugi whimpered, reaching for Yami. Swallowing hard, Yami looked around. There was a small park behind the gas station. Grabbing Yugi, he sped to the park, behind a tree. Laying Yugi down, he quickly disrobed Yugi and himself. Knowing the need for speed, efficiency, as well as the need of the lovers themselves, he quickly filled Yugi, pounding over and over until both released. Sweating, Yami smiled down at Yugi. "Sorry for the quickie. We had better get back."

Yugi nodded, grinning. "Quickies are okay." Winking, he quickly started putting his clothes on, and they appeared behind the van right as Red had walked up to it. Yami and Yugi climbed in, Red behind them, shutting the door.

Settling behind Aeon, Snake, and Damien, Yugi leaned on Yami as Red sat down as well., next to Yami. Naruto, Sasuke,and Ryou sat in the front seat as Akeifa sat on the floor, leaning against Ryou's legs. Seto was in the passenger seat up front again. Joey climbed into the driver's seat.

Joey looked up in the mirror, verifying that everyone was in the van. "Everybody ready ta go?" Hearing no disagreement, Seto looking at his phone, Joey headed off, turning the heater on as it was a cool night. No one in the van smelled the rancid smell of burning flesh that had started to waft from behind the gas station.

Chapter 9: Melting Ice

LEMON WARNING AT ############## DON'T LIKE, TOO YOUNG, DON'T READ.

The silence was truly deafening. Joey could pick up on it now. Seto had not said one word to him since the gas station and that was over five hours ago. Cutting his eyes over to Seto, Seto had his eyes trained on his phone. Joey sighed. "You okay?" he whispered.

Seto looked up, eyes cold. "Of course, why wouldn't I be? I don't seem to care about anyone or anything."

Joey pulled back as if slapped. Yami rolled his eyes. _Not now, Seto...we don't need the extra drama._

 _Shut the fuck up, Cousin. This is not your conversation._

Yami glowered. Yugi looked up, worriedly. Yami just shook his head slightly. Yugi snuggled down in the seat. Looking at his cousin, Yami sighed. "Joey, take a right up here on Cedar drive. There's a bed and breakfast that's friendly to vampires; it's getting late, the sun will be coming up soon."

Joey nodded, taking the directions given and pulling in front of a lovely Victorian house with fresh paint and new furniture on the outside. Getting out, Yami walked in as everyone else piled out stretching limbs. Walking inside, he rang the bell at the counter. An older man came out, smiling at Yami. "Can I help you sir?"

Yami smiled. "Do you have any rooms for vampires?"

Smiling, the keep looked at his computer. "Yes, sir...we have two."

Yami pulled out his wallet. "Okay, we will take those. Do you have any other rooms available? No special requirements needed."

Looking, the man smiled. "We have two more rooms."

Yami nodded, handing over cash. "We'll take them."

Coming out after taking care of the paperwork, Yami looked at everyone. "I could only get 4 rooms; 2 vampire, 2 non."

Seto nodded, grabbing their bags and walking in, finding his way to a room. Joey followed mutely. Yami looked back at them and sighed. He grabbed his bags and headed in as well.

The others looked around, figuring out how to divide up the arrangements. It was finally decided that Red, Damien, and Snake would stay in one room, Aeon, Naruto, and Sasuke would be in the other. Akeifa declared that he and Ryou would camp outside.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Seto said nothing as he sat his bag down, going to the bathroom. Joey came in and sat down on the bed, waiting for Seto to come out. Upon coming back to the room, he looked at Joey and walked past him to the coffin in the corner, not saying a word. Joey sighed. "Are ya gonna tell me what da hell is goin' on?"

Seto stopped, facing the coffin. Slowly turning around, his voice cold, "Nothing is wrong. We are just going after your child." His voice could have cut a diamond.

Joey looked confused. "Wha' are you talkin' about?"

Seto's eyes flashed cold. " _I have no obligation to Joto._ " he sneered.

Joey's face held confusion, then recognition. Head bowed, he stood, walking over to Seto. "M' sorry, Seto. I didn' mean it...I was hurt and not thinkin'. She's as much your girl as mine." Eyes pleading, he looked up to Seto. Seto could feel the remorse through their link. He held Joey.

"I miss her too, Mutt." Bending down, he gently kissed Joey. Joey's eyes closed and he growled with need. With all that had been going on, he and Seto hadn't been intimate in a while.

Looking at Seto, he whimpered. "Love me?" he asked. Seto knew exactly what was meant and picked Joey up, laying him on the bed.

##########################################

Leaning down, Seto met Joey's lips, kissing them gently. Gently smoothing the hair out of Joey's face, he leaned down,kissing slowly and sensually on that tender neck. Joey moaned, arching his neck towards Seto. "Ah, Seto, uh..." Joey grabbed Seto's neck, running a hand through Seto's hair. Kissing down the neck to the junction of the neck and shoulder, Seto bit gently. Joey's eyes flew open and then slid closed, whimpering.

Grabbing Seto's shoulders, he whimpered, fighting for access to Seto's lips. Seto looked up, smirking lightly. "Aww, is my puppy whimpering?" He whispered. Joey took the advantage to capture Seto's lips. Kissing him, he worked on taking off Seto's shirt. Tossing it carelessly aside, he started running fingers down Seto's chest. Goosebumps appeared on Seto as his eyes darkened.

Seto pulled Joey's shirt off. Kissing down Joey's abdomen, Seto smirked looking up at Joey. "A bit excited, are we?" as he rubbed his mouth over the cloth covered erection. Joey groaned lowly, dark eyes staring at Seto. Seto smirked, working Joey's pants off. As Joey's member sprung to attention in the breeze, Seto licked him lightly, earning another low groan from Joey. "You are going to be interesting when you hit rutting season." Seto observed lustfully. Joey just twisted his head back and forth, eyes closed, moaning.

Smiling at his lover's predicament, he slowly enveloped Joey's length, expertly running his tongue around Joey's shaft, making Joey grip the sheets, moaning loudly. "Ah...Seto..feels so good..." He bucked upwards, Seto smoothly keeping the motion going. "Please, Seto.." he whimpered.

Seto's shaft twitched at the moan and plea. Looking down on his lover, he quickly slipped off his pants, sliding into his lover, pounding and thrusting against Joey. Quickly, both released.

#################################

Laying down next to Joey, Seto pulled Joey into his arms. Missing their babygirl, both went to sleep.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Akeifa stared at Ryou as he made a makeshift tent in the woods. "Now...tell me what really fucking happened, Lock."

Ryou looked up at Akeifa. "Key, what I have told you is the truth. I'm quiet because I don't understand any of it." Troubled, Ryou looked down at his hands.

Akeifa sighed, pulling Ryou next to him and up into his lap. "I don't understand, either. But I can't help but be happy you're back." Nuzzling his neck, he held Ryou. "Go to sleep, I don't need it at all, it's just an enjoyable hobby. I'll protect you." Ryou settled into Akeifa's lap, falling into a deep, peaceful sleep for the first time in a very long time.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The day passed rather uneventfully. The ninjas slept to prepare to be up all night. Red slipped out and destroyed many trees in a forest to relieve frustration. Nearing twilight, Damien came out to find Red. Red had smashed yet another tree. _Damnit, where is she?_

Suddenly, Damien stood tall, eyes widening with fear.

"What?" Red growled.

Damien just looked at Red. Damien had just felt Allea die.

Chapter 10: Carnage

Red looked at Damien, knowing something was wrong. "Speak, Angel." The deep voice commanded. Akeifa peeked out of the woods, holding Ryou who had just woken up. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that something bad was about to happen.

"Fuckin' great." Akeifa growled. He could tell that something bad had happened. He just didn't know what. Damian's whole demeanor had changed in the blink of an eye. There was an edge to his body, a hum of nervousness about him. Making sure Ryou was awake, with ears covered, Akeifa grabbed his dagger and crouched, waiting.

Damien averted his eyes, cowering. "Red, I...I don't know that this is true. It's just a feeling I got. I have been so nervous, my mind could be..."

"Speak!" Red roared. "I have no time for your whimpering."

Wincing at the yell, Damian sighed. "It's Allea, I can't feel her anymore."

"Ah, fuck me all the fucking way to Fuckville!" Akeifa muttered. _Of all the stupid fucking ways to tell Red..._

Red looked at Damien, his face, well...red. "Run." is all Red said.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

As everyone was loading up in the van, Akeifa flew in. "Shit's going down! Red's fucking lost it!" he yelled, dropping off Ryou and then flying away. All heads snapped up. This was bad...

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Damien was dodging trees, rocks, bits of earth, all trying to stay out of Red's way, but also follow him. Red had stormed off towards ... Damien had no clue where. Red was just storming off. Trying to keep pace, he heard movement behind him and saw that the rest of the group was trying to close the gap, some faster than others. He was a good mile behind Red.

Yami easily reached Damien, as did Seto. Looking at Damien, Yami asked, "What happened?"

Flying, dodging, Damien kept his eyes forward. "I felt Allea die. Red forced me to explain. I told him I couldn't feel her anymore...and he became like this." Suddenly, all saw Akeifa land in front of Red, stopping Red momentarily.

"Out of my way, demon." Red snarled, knuckles white, face twisted in rage. Everyone in the group was developing a headache.

Akeifa stood his ground. "No. Listen to me. I don't know if she's dead or not. But crashing ..." Red had grabbed Akeifa, slamming him into the ground beside him. Red kept going. Akeifa stood, shaking the dirt o of him, a hand out to Ryou to stop, as Ryou was trying to reach Akeifa. Running and leaping on Red's back, he put his arms around the giant's neck. "Fucking stop and listen to me..." Red slung Akeifa around until finally he slung him off, into the bottom of a cliff facing, which started to crumble.

The rest of the group was following, but trying to keep their distance and figure out how to subdue the irate demon. Ryou came up to Yami. "Please, help me get there. I think I know a way." Yami looked skeptically at Ryou, whose chocolate eyes were pleading. Finally, shaking his head, he agreed, and put Ryou on his back as he sped forward towards the battle raging ahead.

Akeifa had gotten back in front of Red. While not stopping Red, he was effectively slowing the large man down. "How the fuck are you going to find her crashing through the woo...oooof." An arm caught Akeifa in the solar plexus, sending him flying backwards.

"Allea's pregnant." A soft voice said, but it rang out clearly in the night. Red stopped. Turning around, hazel eyes going black, Red looked at the group.

Ryou motioned for Yami to stop, and he did. Getting off of Yami's back, Ryou stood in front of Yami, between Yami and Red. "She's pregnant. Not very far along at all. However, she is indeed pregnant. Damien...can you feel her baby?"

Damien stopped, concentrating. Yes..yes, there...faintly...he could feel that trace that was Allea but also..wasn't. Opening his eyes, he smiled. "Yes, I can!"

Ryou looked to Red. "So that means Allea is still alive...perhaps the force field is simply breaking Damien's connection."

Damien looked thoughtful. "Or, Allea could be trying to break the connection. It is said that certain angels can do that, but I've never known Allea to be able to do it. Of course, Allea does a lot of things I never thought she could do."

Red was shaking. Akeifa got up and warily circled Red. "Okay, you big fucker. Now...just calm the fuck down and let's go back to the fucking sardine can that everyone calls a fucking van, and let's go find this bitch and get Allea and your your little demonangel back." Akeifa kept one eye warily on Red.

Red looked from Damien, to Ryou, to Akeifa. Eyes in the utmost pain, he closed his eyes and nodded.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Allea looked around, holding Joto. Kurasha was still chained, looking like she was in pain. The ninjas were still out, and Allea was growing more concerned every moment about them. She also had no idea where Ryou was...that concerned her. When they split the group, she had hoped that no one would be left alone...but that was not the case.

Rocking the baby, she sat on the bed. _What am I going to do?_ Suddenly, an idea came to her. It was a long shot, but it was all she had. Using all of her concentration, she shut o her link to Damien. Now...if Damien would only remember...

 _"How come you can find me so easily?" The brown haired angel pouted, as the red haired cherub came up laughing._

 _"I have a connection to you, Allea. We were born at the same time, so I can always feel you. That's the way of all angels...we are created in twos."_

 _"No fair, Damien, you are cheating!" she pouted._

 _He laughed. "I don't focus on it...but it just helps me know if I'm close."_

 _Looking up curiously, Allea studied Damien. She had known him for..well, 8 cycles now. She never knew he could do that...she couldn't feel him...or could she? She_ _did_ _always seem to know when he was coming to visit..._

 _"So I can tell where you are too, huh?" Allea queried._

 _"Sure. That's what I just said." Damien looked at her, confusion on his face._

 _"No...I mean, if I concentrate really hard, I could like...pinpoint where you were...right?" Allea asked._

 _Recognition dawned on Damien's face. "Yea, I suppose so. I've never done it. I am sure you would have to meditate, but then yea..you could find me." Damien smiled. "My turn to hide."_

 _Sitting down, meditating, thinking only of him...suddenly she could see him. He was in a tower...in the west tower, to be precise. Smirking, Allea opened her eyes and headed to the west tower._

They hadn't played hide and seek in so long, she didn't even know if Damien would remember. So..she hoped her nudge would remind him. She'd give it another few minutes and then...kissing Joto's head, she sung to the baby quietly.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 _Things are getting...complicated._ Maelstrom looked around the room. Ravyn sat next to her, painting a canvaswith dark hues. Zorc was laying on a couch, stuffing himself with fruit. She had no idea where Orochimaru was, and frankly, she was fine with that. That guy gave her the creeps.

She didn't know how much longer she could keep the ninjas under. She may have to leave one of them next... _but if so...which one..._

Clicking on the news, Maelstrom flipped through the channels. Boring reality show about some stupid celebrities thinking their lives were more interesting than they were. Boring game show about middle class people trying to get free money. Boring news reports of some land being cleared in Georgia. No one knew how a 20 acre swath was cleared, and no one had any reports of building permits for anything. Boring infomercial on how to make your man last longer. Turning off the television, she flung the remote onto the couch. It was getting close to time to make her next move.

Chapter 11: The Bloodhound

The van was deathly silent as it drove through the night. They were close to the property in the picture Seto had decided they should go to, though they had no idea if that was close to the other members or if they were on a wild goose chase. He just wished they had a lead...something.

Damien was sitting in the van, eyes closed, relaxing. Suddenly, Damien felt Allea almost slam into him. Sitting upright, he looked around, confused. At that same time, "I Apologize" by Five Finger Death Punch came ringing through the still night. Yami grabbed his phone, answering it. "Hello Valon. How is it going in Domino?" Yami listened intently to the voice on the other end. Nodding he was agreeing with whatever was being said. "Sure, that's fine. Yes, put a GPS on it so we can track it. Thanks, Valon. No..not yet. Okay." Closing the phone, Yami leaned over, kissing Yugi's temple.

Damien then sat up straight, startling Akeifa. "What the fuck, you crazyass redhaired flying freak?" Grumbling, he warily watched Damien. Damien closed his eyes, sitting like a monk in an old kung fu movie, minus the crossing legs bit. Everyone but Joey just kind of looked at Damien.

Damien opened his eyes two minutes later. "New Orleans." he said with finality.

Everyone looked at him. Joey frowned. "Uh, we are heading away from New Orleans, Damien."

"Then turn around. Allea is in New Orleans." Red glowered at Damien, a tiny ray of hope in his eyes.

"How do you know that?" Seto clipped.

"Just like I can feel Allea...if I meditate, I can pinpoint where she is. We used to do it all the time when we played hide and seek as kids. She did block herself from me. I just felt her reconnect. I believe she was trying to get my attention by cutting me off. She is in New Orleans." Damien said with certainty.

Akeifa huffed. "Bloody fucking fine time to remember that tidbit, asshat." Ryou looked disapprovingly at Akeifa. Akeifa rolled his eyes and shrugged.

Joey turned the van around at the next exit and started heading for New Orleans.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Stopping for gas again, everyone piled out. Yugi and Yami went into the convenience store as everyone else was milling around. "Know what you want to snack on, Aibou?" Yugi looked around, eyeing the snacks. Nibbling on his lip adorably, he finally picked out some peanut butter M&Ms. Yami wrinkled his nose and got some salt and vinegar potato chips. Both got strawberry lemonades. Heading to the checkout, the cashier smiled, ringing them up.

Yugi grinned at the cashier. She seemed to be having a good time, she was dancing a little bit to the music playing in the background, her rainbow colored hair bobbing and her long neon orange nails flashing in the lights as she punched buttons on the computer. Handing back the change, she nicked Yugi, a bit of blood dripping. Yami's back went rigid. "Oh my gosh I am so sorry!" she looked truly apologetic. Yugi flinched and looked down at his finger.

It was just a tiny scratch, not much blood at all. Yugi smiled at her. "It's okay, I'm fine." She was rummaging through a drawer and pulled out a bandaid.

"I'm so sorry." she looked ready to cry. Yugi put a hand on Yami to calm him down and smiled gently at the girl.

"It's really okay." he said. Grabbing the items, and the band aid, he and Yami headed out.

Once outside, Yami looked at Yugi. "Aibou, are you okay?"

Yugi grinned up at Yami. "Yea, it's just a little cut, Yami." He sat his items in the seat, and put on the band aid soas not to tempt his lover with the smell of his blood. Grabbing his items, they got in the van.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Mistress." the voice called into the darkness.

Maelstrom opened her eyes. "Yes, Brian, what is it?" She looked over at the demon and smiled. She sent him on a mission, and from the look on his face, he was a success. But...what was he wearing?

"I have found out what you required from me." He bowed.

Maelstrom raised an eyebrow. He seems...different. "Yes, what did you find?"

Brian raised his eyes to her. "He is Osiris."

Maelstrom rolled her eyes. "And how do you know this definitively?" she asked, analyzing him.

"I have tasted his blood. He is Osiris." Brian said with certainty.

"Well, this makes things more difficult..." she looked Brian over, seemingly coming to a resolution. "Do you know where they were headed next?"

Brian frowned, shaking his head no. "I could not follow them without arousing suspicion."

Sighing, Maelstrom motioned for Brian to come over to her. "Well, you did get me invaluable information. You deserve your reward. Come here." She bared her neck to him.

Brian hungrily came to her, teeth bared, the blood demon ready to lust. Grabbing Maelstrom with neon orange nails and rainbow hair, he smirked, ready to taste blood. After feasting he would be able to return his body to it's natural form, and get out of this hideous shell that had been the cashier's. At the last moment, Maelstrom's body crumpled, the punk rock dissolving back into the blood demon's laughing form. "Foolish boy, you were too much of a liability. You wanted power too much...But not anymore." Heading out, she looked to Ravyn. "Get me the baby."

Ravyn looked back. "Fuck off, Brian." She went back to her painting.

"I'm no longer Brian, fool. Do you need me to show you who I am?" Letting some of her power ooze off of her, Ravyn gulped and ran off to obey her Mistress's commands. Covering the captive's room in darkness, Ravyn snuck in, stealing the baby from the crib. Returning, she handed the baby to Maelstrom.

Looking at the baby, Maelstrom cooed. She really was a delightful baby. Always happy, always studying. Smirking, Maelstrom looked down at the blue eyed child. Yes, you will do nicely...better even than Yami, now that I know what I know. With a flick of her wrist, a long, invisible tendril flew back to her, which she then promptly infused in the baby.

Chapter 12: Catch and Release

Joey was driving. Akeifa was tickling Ryou's foot with a bit of his wing that he had poked out. Ryou kept scratching his foot, oblivious to what Akeifa was doing.

The ninjas were getting restless, looking out the windows. At least they were doing something...but still...where the hell was Hinata and Sakura?

Damien was reading Dickens. Red was glowering.

Yugi was cuddled up to Yami, both of them smiling at each other and whispering something that would have probably made Akeifa vomit if he could have heard.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Yami screamed, breaking the peace of the night with a truly primal scream. Face pale, eyes pale, he clutched his chest, sweating. Yugi was instantly holding him, looking terrified.

Seto jerked around. "What the hell is going on, Yugi?" he growled, looking at his cousin.

"I...I don't know." he whimpered. Akeifa sat up, leaning over the seat, looking intently at Yami, as was Red.

"Ah, bloody fucking hell. We have to stop." Akeifa grumbled. Joey looked up.

"Why?" Seto demanded.

"Because, Maelstrom has jerked her slimy-demonic-ugly-as-fuck essence out of Yami. He needs to recuperate, and he's going to need fucktons of blood to get better. However, if you fucktwats would rather your sire fucking die, by all means, keep fucking driving the van." Akeifa huffed, crossing his arms...then uncrossing them, pulling out a cigarette, and lighting it. Seto looked to Red for confirmation, who nodded his assent.

Seto typed quickly into his phone and then gave directions to Joey. Pulling up in front of an elaborate hotel about five minutes later, Seto got out of the van. Going into the hotel, he came back out a few minutes later. Opening the door, he commanded "C'mon Yugi, bring Yami. Can you carry him?"

Yugi nodded, picking Yami up with ease. Yami was shivering, sweating, and looking extremely unwell. Yugi cradled him, following Seto and taking him down to the room that was reserved. Seto opened the door, and Yugi gently placed Yami on the bed. "Thank you, Seto."

Seto nodded. "I told them it would be day to day. With an acceptable deposit, they were quite agreeable." Seto stated, closing the door behind him. Yugi leaned down, biting his wrist so it would bleed. He put his wrist to his lover's mouth.

"C'mon Yami..you need to feed." Yugi coaxed, worriedly looking at the waxy sheen upon Yami's brow. Yami was breathing shallowly. Yugi frowned, putting the blood on his lips. Yami still was unresponsive. Biting his lip, Yugi tried to think about what to do. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Come in." Yugi stated. Joey walked in, dropping off their bags.

"How's he doin' Yug'?" Joey asked with concern.

"He's not drinking." Yugi's voice was up a pitch, concern laced through his voice and mannerisms.

"Well..." Joey stood, rubbing his neck, trying to think. "Lemme go get Akeifa.. He may know more about dis." Joey quickly left, searching for the foul mouthed demon.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Maelstrom cuddled the baby. Joto grinned and giggled, playing happily with a plastic ring holding various keys of a myriad of colors. Maelstrom smirked at her plan. It was going perfectly. They'd be at the summit soon. And then..she'd have eternity. Yugi is a god. That would be the best body ever. Sometimes you have to give people a nudge to get them in the right direction.

Smiling at the baby, she cooed the child. Yes...she knew who they were going to find next. "Ravyn...dear, I need your help." Smirking, she readied her next stage of the plan.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

After going and getting Akeifa and listening to him bitch, Joey went back to his room. After settling down and getting ready to rest, there was a knock on the door. Joey yawned and shuffled to the door, clad only in sweatpants. Seto looked up from the bed, where he was searching for clues on finding Maelstrom. Standing at the door was a dark haired woman Joey had never seen. "Can I help ya?" Joey asked, confused.

The black haired woman looked at Joey. "I have a delivery for a Mr. Joey Wheeler."

Seto was immediately at Joey's side. "How did you know I was here?" he growled Shut up Mutt. Something is wrong here.

The woman looked at Seto. "Nice try, Seto." She looked to Joey and then picked up a basket about the size of a small child. Handing it to Joey, he looked down. Joto smiled up at him, clapping and giggling.

Tears sprung to his eyes as he grabbed Joto, hugging her so close. The woman had disappeared, but Seto would not be deterred. Chasing after her, he caught sight of her. Running after her, he caught her, as he was second in speed only to Yami. Grabbing her arm, she snarled, being whipped around. "Who are you? Where's Maelstrom?" he demanded.

"Fuck you, Seto Kaiba. You aren't my boss anymore." she raked his face with her claws, drawing blood.

Seto drew back, confused. Anymore? Suddenly, recognition dawned in Seto's eyes. "Ravyn..." he stated.

She smirked. "After you fucked me up, I found release. Maelstrom was my savior." Jerking, turning to leave, he pulled her back.

"Ravyn she's using you." Seto stated simply.

Ravyn spat in his face. "Who do you think stole the baby?" She taunted.

At that comment, something inside Seto snapped. This was what threatened his family. This...bitch. Rage welled up in him. Easily holding Ravyn, he snapped her neck. Her body collapsed, the screams of hundreds of freed souls screeching through the night.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Aw fuck me. Do I have to do every fucking thing for you pantywaists?" Akeifa growled, pissed that Joey had interrupted him. He was planning on getting lucky. And by getting lucky, he meant fucking the shit out of Ryou. Literally. He smirked. Stomping to Yugi's room, he just stormed in.

"Where the fuck is..." Seeing Yami on the bed, he frowned. "Fuck. This isn't good."

"What?" Yugi demanded.

Akeifa looked up at Yugi, his face actually quite serious and showing a hint of sadness. "He's dying, Yugi."

Chapter 13: Premonitions

"Tell me how to fix it! Tell me how to heal him!" Yugi demanded, eyes swimming.

Akeifa frowned. "Kid...I don't fucking know how to fix it. I mean...ya gotta fuckin' think of it like this...Maelstrom stuck something of hers into Yami. And that's a parasite. So it clung to Yami, feeding off of him. So it's gonna grow and tighten it's fucking cocktwat hold on Yami's insides. Then this Mother-cunt-bucket just ripped it the fuck out...so it's going to metaphorically pull shit out with it...in this case, Yami's life essence." Akeifa's eyes were dark.

"I won't lose him...not again." Yugi whispered, eyes determined. "I'm going to find this bitch. I'm going to end this."

"Kid...don't go off half fucking cocked. She's preparing for a war. Cause isn't this what happened last time? You died saving him? She's having history fucking repeat itself. But guess what, Shrimp. It's not just a-fuckin'-bout you this time. This time...if you lose, we all lose."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Naruto and Sasuke sat, silent, mentally preparing themselves. This attack on Yami wasn't good. If Maelstrom was pulling her soul out of Yami, then it meant that the war had to be coming, and soon. Naruto looked to Sasuke. "Ya think the girls are alright, don't ya?" he asked quietly. Sasuke nodded, saying nothing.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Ryou sat, pouring through spellbooks. Something bad was about to happen. He had to be prepared. This was not good. Flipping through pages, he kept checking his components, comparing them, working late into the night...

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Snake sat, cigar burning in the dark room. Something was off. Aeon hadn't been the same since that gas station. Something was really, really wrong. He couldn't put his paw on it. Laying with his back on the bed, he kept replaying that gas station scene over and over in his mind. Suddenly, sitting straight up, he realized what was wrong...

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Aeon, or really Ciacto, sat in the room alone. Looking through his journal, he giggled. He was so close to being able to achieve his dream of taking over the Wyrm empire. Reading and re-reading the plans, his eyes were maniacal...full of greed. He'd have Kurasha, and the Wyrm empire...it would all be his.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey & Seto slept well, for the first time in forever. Holding their little girl between them, they finally felt complete again. About five in the afternoon, she started to cry. Waking up, Joey got up. "Shit. I gotta go get food. Damnit."

Seto rolled over. "Here. I'll try to keep her busy while you go out."

Joey nodded, kissing Seto, then Joto and heading out. As he went about his business, he noticed that there was something in the air. He looked around, but nothing seemed out of order. Shrugging it off, he went and got some food for the baby. He also picked up a small bag of circus peanuts. He remembered that Seto liked those. After checking out, he walked home, paying no heed to the darkening sky turning the color of clay...

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Allea woke, worried about Joto. They took her from Allea. Allea couldn't sleep. She was sick to her stomach. If something happened to that sweet, innocent little baby...

Getting up, she ran to the bathroom, vomiting profusely.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Maelstrom stood, looking around her. She looked at her pet demons, sitting around, making final adjustments. "The time is near, my pretties..." she crooned. The demons started cackling, crawling and scratching at the Earth. She went up, preparing the altar for her sacrifice. She had to do this in the proper order, after all, or it was all for naught. Putting the essence over the legs, she checked to make sure the chains were firmly in place. Running a hand over the smooth slab, she smiled. Yes, this would do nicely...after a layer of blood, it would be prepared for the sacrificial offering before the main offering

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami was dying. He knew it. He could feel it when it was ripped out of him. All he could think of was Yugi. How he didn't want Yugi to be left alone. How he loved Yugi's eyes...how he adored Yugi's nose. How he didn't want to leave Yugi.

But he was feeling cold...so cold. He whimpered. He thought he heard Yugi's voice, but he wasn't sure...he couldn't really feel much anymore, except the searing pain in his body, as if he body was on fire.

"Yugi..." he whimpered, as darkness overtook him.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Snake almost crashed into Joey as he was coming back. "I need to talk to you and Seto. Now." he growled, eyes determined. Joey nodded his head. "Sure, come on down Snake." He took him down to the bedroom, opening the door. Seto was holding Joto, bouncing her on a knee. Joto was giggling. Joey's heart melted at seeing his two favorite people right there.

Upon hearing the door open, Seto looked up, smiled at Joey, and raised an eyebrow at Snake. "Yes?" he queried.

"The thing in the next room is not Aeon...it's a doppelganger." Snake said, incisors bared, twitching. Seto sat up, instantly on alert.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"Smell." Snake said simply. "She smelled off ever since the gas station, but I just couldn't place it until now. I had only encountered one other doppelganger, so it took a while to remember the smell."

"How do we kill it?" Seto asked.

"That I don't know." Snake said quietly, as all three looked at each other.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Red was growing restless. He could feel that something big was coming. Looking to Damien, "You sense it too, don't you?"

Damien sighed, closing the book he was reading. "Yes, Red."

"What are we going to do to stop it?" He growled. "I know there has to be a way to defeat Maelstrom. She's not all powerful." He murmured. The walls kept shaking.

Damien looked to Red. "Please, don't talk. I don't want this hotel to come down upon everyone. I don't know, but I do believe we will defeat her...or we'll die trying. Red, this is the beginning of the end. We are going to war, and soon...and not all of us are coming back." His eyes were sad.

Chapter 14: Montu

Yugi's eyes hardened. "Get everyone. We're leaving." Akeifa sighed, flapping his hands up.

"Fucking great, kid. Lead us all to fucking slaughter." Akeifa stomped off, going to find Ryou.

Yugi looked down at Yami. "I won't lose you, Love." He whispered. Suddenly, something caught his eyes. It looked like Duel Monster cards...he pulled them out of Yami's pocket. Yugi scrunched his face. There was nothing on the front...they were blank. Not really understanding why Yami would have blank cards, he stared at them harder. They must have some value if Yami carried them around.

Seto came in about then. "How is he?" He asked. Joey, Snake, Akeifa, Red, Damien, Ryou and the two ninjas came in right after, Joey with Joto. Yugi turned around, worry on his face. He shook his head.

Seto's eyes darkened in anger. Making sure the door was shut, he turned to look at everyone. "A disturbing turn of events have occurred. We have a traitor among us."

Yugi's hackles raised. He growled. "What do you mean?"

Seto looked to Snake. Snake sighed. "Aeon is a doppelganger. I couldn't pick up on it until tonight...I knew she smelled different, but the smell was familiar. I just couldn't place it." He growled, looking down. "I should have been able to." He shook his head, eyes angry.

There was no sound as everyone looked around...well, until Naruto piped up. "A dop-ah what?" He scrunched his eyes, scratching his head. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Seto looked to Naruto. "A doppelganger is a creature which can assume the body shape of anyone it can get it's hands on." Sorrow flickered through his eyes for a moment. "However, the 'mold' so to speak, dies."

Joey's forehead popped out with beads of sweat. He swallowed audibly. "How do we kill it?" He asked quietly.

"It's a creature with a heart, a brain, blood, and oxygen. It can be killed like a normal human, but it's skin is extra tough, almost leathery. It's brain MUST be destroyed." Ryou said quietly.

Everyone looked at each other. It was silent for a few minutes before Naruto piped up. Cracking his knuckles, a determined look on his face, he frowned. "Let's go kill it." he growled.

As they were turning to leave, Seto noticed the cards still in Yugi's hands. "What are those?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

Yugi looked at his hand. "Oh..uh, I really don't know. They look like blank duel monster cards. They were in Yami's pocket."

Seto held out his hand. "Could I see them?" Yugi shrugged and handed them over. Seto looked at them, then looked up at Yugi. "I got these cards from Pegasus. They were specifically for Yami to try to quell the rebellion. Do you know what they do?" he asked.

Yugi shook his head in agitation. He had already answered this question.

Seto held up a card. "They catch souls."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Ciacto was at the vent, listening. Damn, I was caught. Quickly he gathered the items he desperately needed and escaped into the darkness, keeping the van in sight so that he could follow it to Kurasha. Grabbing an ordinary passerby, he drained them of their form and headed off.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

While everyone was discussing the doppelganger, Yami was continuing to die slowly. It almost didn't hurt anymore. The only thing that hurt was losing Yugi. He missed Yugi. He felt like...something...amethyst...love...nose...blackness...

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi suddenly broke down in a scream. Everyone looked at him as Seto went pale. Looking over at Yami, Seto went, slipping on his knees, going paler, grabbing Yami's lifeless hand. Joey looked confused. "Wha's goin' on?" Damien looked with sad eyes.

Yugi grabbed Yami, holding him close. "No...no...no, no nonononononononooo." Yugi screamed, rocking Yami as Seto curled into a ball on the floor. Joey handed Joto to Damien and ran to Seto.

"Seto, wha's wrong?" he cried out, but he already felt his link breaking. Eyes wide, he grabbed Seto's head, turning him to look at him. "No, Seto...damnit, ya better stay wit' me! Don't die on me damnit!" Seto's eyes were fading as his life was seeping out. Joey looked up at Yugi. "Fuckin' do something Yug'!" he demanded.

Yugi was holding onto Yami. "I don't know what to do...I don't know what I am!"

"You're fuckin' Osiris, Lord of da Dead...wing it!" Joey screamed.

Yugi just kept holding Yami, trying to push his life force in Yami...he didn't know what else to do. Kissing Yami, whispering, nay, pleading in Yami's ear to come back. Finally, Yugi sat back, screaming and slapped Yami. "You fucker! You can't leave me again! Come back to me!" he screamed.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami stirred. He felt...something. He...he...he had to do..but what was it? Why was it so dark? What was he being ordered to do? He felt drawn to...Osiris. His Lord. His Lord was commanding that he come to him. He had to find Osiris. His Lord demanded it. Wh..what was that... There! There is Osiris! Suddenly, he took a deep gasp of air, sitting straight up. Opening crimson eyes with no pupils, he looked around to Yugi, and then got down, bowing on one knee. "My Lord, you commanded I come to you." He kept his head bowed out of respect.

Everyone was silent. Joey noted that the color was coming back to Seto's face. Holding him gently in his arms, Joey looked at Seto. "Are you okay?" he whispered. Seto nodded weakly.

Yugi looked confused at Yami, but was so happy that he was alive, he wasn't worried at the moment. He kissed Yami's eyebrows, eyes, nose, lips. Yami looked confused. "Lord Osiris...w..what is of this?" he blushed lightly.

Yugi's face fell. "Yami?" he whispered.

"Yami?" Yami looked confused. Looking around, everyone was looking at him. "I..I am not Yami, my Lord. I am Montu, your god of war."

"Ah, fuck these fucking fuckers, always creating more fucking gods." Akeifa huffed, kicking the bed post.

Yugi swallowed hard. "M..Montu?" he whispered.

Yami bowed. "I am at your service, my Lord." Crossing his right arm over his chest, fist forming and covering his chest.

Yugi looked up, eyes watery. "What have I done?" he whispered.

Chapter 15: The Precipice

Everyone piled into the van. No one said a word. YamiMontou was confused. He felt as if this silence...this displeasure...was due to him. He looked worriedly at his Master, Lord Osiris. Lord Osiris was displeased. YamiMontou did not like Lord Osiris to be displeased with him. Looking to Lord Osiris, he sighed. "My Lord, I am sorry I am displeasing to you. Please, tell me how I have displeased you so I may rectify this situation."

Joey slammed his hand into the steering wheel. Seto stared at Joey, holding Joto. His arm strength was stronger than any seat harness, so screw the rules. "Problem, Mutt?"

"Yea, I want dis bitch ta die...she's fuckin' hurtin' everyone I care about." Honey eyes were dark as he watched the road. Seto reached out and put a hand on Joey's thigh comfortingly.

Akeifa laughed humorlessly. "Fat fucking chance of that happening Daywalker." He laid his head on Ryou's knee as he sat on the floor again after a short, but furious argument about who would sit where. Akeifa had won after something was said about strangling a bunny if Ryou didn't "shut the fuck up and sit his fluffy fucking ass down." Ryou was intently reading his spellbook at the moment.

Yugi looked up sadly at Yami. "Yami, I'm not displeased with you. I'm upset you can't remember who you are and how much we love each other." Eyes glassy, his resolve hardened.

YamiMontou looked confused. "Lord Osiris, you do not love me. Your heart has always belonged to your Pharaoh." Yugi just sighed, slumping down in the van and looking out the window.

No one else spoke. There was nothing to say.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"They are on their way here. I can feel it. Lay them up there." Maelstrom nodded toward the pillars standing up around the altar. Sakura was hung by her bound wrists, still unconscious, on the West Pillar, feet barely touching a small ledge to take some weight off the arms. Hinata, also unconscious, was hung on the East Pillar in similar fashion. Kurasha was chained to the South Pillar, wrapped in her magical chains, miserable and bleeding. And Allea, fighting the whole way, was hung and bound to the North Pillar similar to Sakura, but with a gag in her mouth.

"Soon, dear ones...soon my plan will be done." Her attention turned to Allea. "Your friend...Damien...is it...he'll follow you..he can trace you a er all." Maelstrom crooned. Allea's eyes widened, a mumbled "Fuck" from the gag. She was leading them to a trap...and she had a feeling there was nothing she could do.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey kept driving. Listening to the terse instructions from either Seto or Damien, he drove. Worriedly he kept looking over at Seto. Tears made his eyes glassy and he had to look back at the road. He was scared, he realized. Terrified, even. He was terrified he was going to lose Seto.

Cobalt eyes cut over to him. Mutt, it took me three thousand years to find you. Don't expect me to give up easily. Don't give up on me. Have I ever made anything easy? Joey saw Seto's mouth quirk up into a smirk. Joey had to chuckle. Letting out a shaky breath, he nodded slightly and kept driving.

Naruto and Sasuke kept up their normal animated conversation of ... Silence. Naruto constantly clenching and unclenching his fists.

Snake sat smoking his cigar, window cracked, on alert...

Damien sat, waiting. He hoped his contacts weren't in vain.

Red sat, glaring. He wanted his Allea back.

Akeifa held Ryou's knee. He was worried, but fuck if he'd show it.

Ryou was reading. And memorizing.

YamiMontou sat silently, wondering how to please Lord Osiris.

Yugi sat, wondering how to get Yami back.

"Uh, Yug'...we're here." Joey said quietly, gulping loudly.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Ah...they're here...I suppose we should give a proper greeting to our guests of honor." Maelstrom grinned, turning to the sound of the van pulling up and stopping. Stepping up, she looked at the group. "Welcome, one and all. We finally meet, knowing our true forms, don't we...Osiris?" Addressing Yugi and stepping forward, she seemed to step through a cloud of mist, her form shifting into one that was a mass of tangled red hair and green eyes with sparks shooting through them.

Yugi stepped up. "Leave them alone, you bitch. This is between me and you."

Maelstrom laughed evilly. "Oh, this is by far between more than me and you. I have a beef with everyone of you...but yes, Yugi, you are my main focus." Eyes moving to Red, she smirked. "I took the death mark off of Allea...it is much more fun to have her alive to witness your demise than unconscious from the pain." Red took a threatening step forward. Damien came up, standing in front of him. "Wait." Damien said, eyes looking at Red. Red barely stood still, trembling with rage.

Maelstrom smirked. "Now, Yugi, you can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Yugi met her gaze, face hard. "Not that I'm going to do either, but what are the options?"

Maelstrom smiled condescendingly. "Well, the easy way would be for you to willingly sacrifice yourself on this altar to me. Then no one else has to die. The hard way...well, we fight...your side versus mine." She smiled, waving her arms, clearing the mist, allowing Yugi to see that she had...hundreds if not thousands of demons behind her, all glaring at Yugi and crew hungrily.

Yugi turned to his group. He looked at each of them. Akeifa spoke up. "What are we fucking waiting for? We didn't come here for fucking tea and crumpets. Let's take this bitch down."

Ryou nodded. "I agree, Yugi. We are with you."

Akeifa smirked, ripping his shirt off, wings ripping from his back. Smirking at Red, he chuckled. "Ready to have some bloody good fun, Red?"

Red snapped his neck back and forth, bones popping, knuckles flexing, wings appearing. He grinned, looking like a kid on Christmas morning. He shook his head.

Snake transformed into his panther form, growling.

YamiMontou put his fist to his chest, bowing his head.

Damien unfurled his wings, eyes sparking in anger. He silently said a prayer.

Joey & Seto started elongating their nails and fangs, anger in their eyes.

Sasuke said nothing, noting that Sakura was still breathing. Kunai in hand, mangekyou forming.

Naruto grinned. Cracking his knuckles, he smirked. "Let's do it...11,000 to 11...that's a 1,000 for each of us. I thought she was going to give us a challenge." He rolled his eyes.

Smiling, Yugi nodded. Turning around, he looked at Maelstrom. "I always like it hard." He smirked.

Chapter 16: Farewell My Friends

There was a screeching as the demons attacked. Akeifa smirked, as did Red, rushing into battle. Akeifa went swinging, claws tearing into the flesh of demons, some of whom he recognized, others he did not know. Heads flew, as did wings, arms, and any other body part Akeifa could rip into.

Red's fists were crushing demons. Fist connected with bone, teeth, cheeks, sternum...whatever Red could connect with. Demons were clawing at him. His eyes were on Allea. He was going to get to her. He was going to save her. Blood flew as he ripped demons in half, not even feeling any damage he was taking. Quickly covered in blood, he didn't notice, but kept plowing through.

Naruto crossed his fingers. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Hundreds of Narutos appeared, running to attack the nearest demons. Kunais and fists flying, the Narutos were taking out their fair share as they too, were taking damage and puff ing out of existence.

Sasuke turned, looking at a point in the front. Suddenly, trickles of blood streamed from his eye as black flames of the Amateratsu appeared, attaching to the demons up front. Screams permeated the air as the demons tried to stop the burning. Sasuke then ran to the side away from the flames, kunai cutting and slicing.

Ryou stood in the back, book open, bluish silver trails coming from his fingers as he cast on the altar and the pillars around it. Allea felt her binds drop. Ripping the gag from her mouth, she ran into the fray, attacking demons, running to fight with Red.

Sakura's bindings fell as she woke, confused and disoriented. Quickly assessing the situation, she jumped down, kunai out and ran towards the battle, running towards Sasuke and Naruto as she saw that Hinata was doing the same.

Kurasha felt her chains drop and she quickly transformed into a dragon, taking flight, overseeing the fight from the air. Dread filled her heart as she did not see Aeon, but saw Ciacto. He changed into dragon form and took to the air, blowing acid at her. She dodged, blowing fire at him.

"Fucking watch out you overgrown fucking pigeons!" Akeifa yelled at the dragons as he narrowly missed the fireblast.

Joey growled, ripping into demons. Claws and wings scratched his face, blood flowing and then healing as he used claws, teeth, fangs, and brute strength to tear into whatever was in his way. "Joey!" he heard the scream, but not in time. Turning, he saw the horn coming for him, and he knew he was unable to move in time. Yugi, Seto, and Joto all passed in his memory banks as he suddenly felt blood splash all over his face. But..he..he felt fine. Looking down, expecting to see a horn, he instead saw Seto crumpled in front of him, a horn through his heart. Looking up, cobalt eyes dimming, Seto smiled, pain shining through. "S..sorry, Mutt. I broke my promise." As Seto's body turned to ash, floating away in the wind Joey sat there...stunned. Dead on the inside. He was holding the ash that had been Seto's hand. Tears streaming, he stood, turning toward Maelstrom. "You BITCH!" he screamed, and...as his eyes bled red, blood flew, as anyone who got in front of him was ripped to shreds, blood flowing like a river.

Snake was snarling and clawing and fighting, taking his fair share of damage, but dealing it out and being more limber than the demons, he was usually able to jump out of the way and his superior metabolism was able to allow him to heal before he got another cut. But damn, it hurt.

Sakura was slamming through demons, bodies flying through the air from her punches, running for Sasuke. Upon getting close enough, she caught his eye. Sasuke nodded his acknowledgment and both turned back to fighting, demons clawing, punching, biting, and flying as two of the members of Team Seven reunited.

Hinata had ran, trying to get to Naruto. Blue flaming lion heads seemed to appear on her fists, as she ran, crushing demons on her way to Naruto. Suddenly, Hinata saw Naruto turn towards her...as she felt a painful burning in her side, and she crumpled to the ground.

Naruto had saw Hinata, saw her Twin Lions. He was going to meet up with her, to make a better fighting formation when he saw it...before he could do anything, he saw the spear fly and get her right in the side not far below the armpit. He saw her crumple. And then...he saw orange as his body was engulfed in orange chakra.

Yugi was making his way to Maelstrom. Fighting and slinging with demons, dodging claws, YamiMontou was right there next to him, fighting with him. Yugi could only see Maelstrom...see the destruction she had caused...see the deaths of the loved ones he and his friends had lost. And in seeing those loved ones, Yugi failed to see the ball of black light cast from behind her, coming straight towards him. Yami jumped in front of Yugi, taking the full blast, his mouth opening slightly in an "o" shape as he realized death was imminent in this mortal body. Amethyst eyes, a fountain, the painting, Yugi's gentle lips, how well his Aibou felt in his arms. How much he loved Yugi. How he had lost him once. How he didn't want to lose him again. How Yugi's life was so much more important than his. Crumpling to the ground, Yami looked up at Yugi. "I...remember. I love you, Aibou." he whispered as his crimson eyes dimmed in death.

Chapter 17: Too Much, Not Enough

Yugi sat there, holding Yami as Yami's body slowly disintegrated into ash. There were no tears as Yugi stared at Yami's body. Amethyst hardened, looking at Maelstrom. "You knew he would take that for me." he accused. Maelstrom laughed heartlessly.

"Of course. Love makes one foolish." She smirked. "You can stop this you know...all you need to do is sacrifice yourself."

"Watch the fuck out!" Akeifa slammed through a demon that was coming up behind Yugi. Yugi kept towards Maelstrom. She flicked her wrist, and a path opened to her demons scattering.

"Please, come to me." Maelstrom smirked.

Yugi stormed forward.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Red was crushing skulls, ripping through demons. Scratches covered his face, but he didn't care. He had to get to Allea. He enjoyed the crunch of bones snapping. Suddenly, Allea was in front of him. Seeing her, he smiled. She touched his hand, smiling back, and then put her back to him to continue the fight, magic flying from her hands as she helped mow down demons.

Suddenly, a behemoth of a monster came in front of Red. Matching Red in size and muscle, he glared at Red, smiling a demonic, evil smile. Where Red had dark hair and dark eyes, this monstrosity was blonde with pale blue orbs calculating the battle ahead. Cracking his knuckles, he smirked. "Red...I'm gonna kill you, I'm gonna gut you, and then I'm gonna rape that bitch you knocked up." Fangs and pointed teeth showed from the smirk.

"Fuck you, Rithna." Red snarled, going up and punching the monster. The only one to come close to Red's strength was Rithna. Born of the same bloodline, both were extraordinarily strong. Rithna's head snapped to the side, a trickle of blood from his lip. He pulled his head back, looking at Red and smiled. "This...this is going to be fun." Snapping his neck, he advanced, fist connecting with Red's jaw. Red grunted in pain. He spit out a tooth, blood and spittle coming out as well. Red grinned, locked in battle, punches being thrown from both demons...seemingly equally matched.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Ryou was in the back casting. He saw Akeifa save Yugi and he sighed in relief. He had also seen Yami, Seto, and Hinata die. Still casting, he didn't see the demon behind him...until Akeifa flew past him. "Fucking leave him alone!" Akeifa growled, hissing. The demon slipped around him and went back for Ryou, a dagger forming out of his hand. Akeifa grabbed the demon, snapping its neck. Ryou sighed in relief and went back to casting. Turning around, he went back to looking at the field when he felt a terrible coldness overcome him. Eyes widening, he turned back around, and Akeifa was now in front of Ryou, a sword through his chest. But he was holding the blade, not allowing it to reach Ryou. Pulling it out, he took the sword and swung it at the demon, scattering the demon to ash. Dropping the sword, he turned to Ryou.

Coughing, Akeifa looked up at Ryou and grinned. "SexyMe...Seventh time's a charm, huh?" He raised a hand to Ryou's face, running his fingertips down Ryou's face before his hand fell limply at his side.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Snake was clawing and scratching and biting. He just never seemed to be making any headway...for every demon that he destroyed, it seemed like two appeared. He grunted in frustration and kept fighting.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Sasuke and Sakura were fighting, like a well oiled machine. Mirroring each other's movements, it was obvious that Team Seven was partially back together. Something caught Sakura's eye and she screamed, pointing, "Sasuke, Naruto!" Sasuke looked.

Naruto was over Hinata's body. His shirt had been ripped o at some point in battle, so he was shirtless. Rage was pouring off of him...and he seemed to melt away as this orange fox shape appeared, four tails flicking in the air, black circles for eyes and a black jagged maw. A huge crater appeared around the fox, dismembered demon bodies flying from the destruction and power that came off of the fox. A white skeleton was starting to form over the orange chakra fox as two more tails were emerging.

Sakura rushed over to Hinata, putting her hands over Hinata's body, green mist flowing from her hands as she tried desperately to save her friends. Sasuke had followed as well, and was defending Sakura as she tried to Heal the fallen ninja. Hinata's eyes fluttered open.

"Naruto! Hinata's okay!" Sakura yelled, returning to healing her fallen friend. The fox turned, a demon in its maw, looking back at the trio. Seeing that, hearing Hinata's well being was assured, something sunk through the rage and the chakra, to the center...to that little spark that was still Naruto. Storming back, the fox shape started melting away as he looked at Hinata, her eyes opening. His ravaged body collapsed next to Hinata, his head on her stomach as his eyes closed from exhaustion.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Kurasha was flying in the air, flames flying at Ciacto and the demons on the ground. There were claws and fangs as they clashed in the air, fighting each other. Fireballs flew and acid spewed as the two behemoths of the air clashed in battle.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey felt nothing...and everything. His lover died in his hands. His lover died protecting him. Joey couldn't protect Seto. Cobalt eyes haunted his memories as Joey's chest felt like it was being ripped open, exposed, bleeding, and then sewn shut again. Pain seared through his veins. His vision was tinted red. He felt no pain. All he could feel now was rage. He went for Maelstrom.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Damien was grunting, fighting with the demons. Suddenly, he heard something behind him...and he turned and saw so many more...

Chapter 18: Showdown

Angels. Hundreds of angels. Damien smiled as the reinforcements he had prayed for had come. As Angels started fighting, demons fell left and right.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Kurasha looked at Ciacto. "What did you do to Aeon?" She roared, as she realized that she couldn't find her lover.

Ciacto smirked, flying higher. "I had to have a body to find you in."

Kurasha's eyes went red with rage. Flying straight at Ciacto she grabbed him, sinking her teeth through the hard, scaly flesh, finding the jugular and severing it. As Ciacto's eyes widened in shock, his life blood flowed out, raining blood on the battlefield below.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Red and Rithna were locked in battle. Punch for punch, neither were making much of a dent in the other. Suddenly a demon flew by, dropping a black hilted sword. The same sword that killed Akeifa, not that Red would know that.

Rithna reached for the sword as Red's foot connected with Rithna's jaw, spinning him out of control. Stepping forward, Red grabbed Rithna, throwing him down on his back, the ground vibrating from the force of the powerbomb.

Rithna lay, blinking and winded. As Red bent over to pick Rithna up again and finish him off, Rithna thrust the sword up into Red's right shoulder. Red grunted in pain. Bane was a demon killing sword...and, truly, the bane of Red's existence...the only thing that could truly kill a strength demon. Stumbling backwards, Red ripped the sword out of his shoulder, throwing it on the ground near Allea.

Blood gushed from the wound. Red looked at his wound, realizing that while not fatal, if the blood wasn't stopped soon, it would become fatal. He needed to finish Rithna off, and quickly. Suddenly, Rithna slung Allea from Red's side, as she was trying to reach him to heal him. With a sickening crunch, Allea slammed into a boulder, sliding down, eyes glazed but still awake.

Red rushed for Rithna, vision a bit wobbly. Rithna sidestepped Red and got behind him, gripping him in a bear hug. As Rithna gripped Red, he whispered in Red's ear. "I'm gonna fuck her. I'm gonna rip her. I'm gonna violate her in so many ways. And you won't be able to save her. She's going to be tortured because you. Can't. Protect. Her." He squeezed, and Red heard his ribs crack, felt a rib enter his lung, and excruciating pain as there was no more air in his left lung.

Looking at Allea, he saw her struggling to stand. Coughing up blood, he saw the worry in her eyes. He knew she would destroy herself to save him.

"Oooh...that sounds like it hurt." Rithna leered whispered in Red's ear. "I'm gonna kill your friends. If any survive this, that is. And then, you know what...maybe I won't kill your bitch. Maybe..I'll let her have the baby, then kill her and raise the bastard as my own. To have that bastard look and call me daddy. Yea...I'll take you and then your baby from Allea...and then I'll take her life."

Allea was standing, taking wobbly steps towards Red. Red had to end this. He had to save Allea, Akeifa, Yami...all of his friends. Looking at Allea, he noticed something. Flipping Bane up with his foot, he grinned at Allea. Rithna put his hand on the top of Red's head and his hand on Red's jaw. "Bye, Red." Rithna whispered.

Allea screamed right as Red took Bane and stabbed himself through the heart, shoving it in to the hilt, which means he shoved it through Rithna's heart, too. Falling to his knees, Rithna sputtered, and then hung lifeless behind Red. Allea ran up, tears flowing. "No, no, no, no..." Kissing his lips, she begged him to stay with her. As he ran a hand through her hair, he collapsed, lifeless, the ground vibrating with an earth shattering thud.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yugi didn't notice, as he headed for Maelstrom. She smirked. "You're mine, now."

Yugi looked up at her. "You killed so many of my friends." He stated simply.

Maelstrom smiled. "I kill lots of people."

"You killed Yami." His voice was emotionless.

"Twice." She stated helpfully.

" _Aibou, I'm with you always, you know."_

 _"Pharaoh, please don't leave me!"_

 _"Yugi, I searched three thousand years for you."_

 _"These sheets remind me of your eyes."_

 _"I love you more than life Yugi, and would gladly lay mine down for you."_

"I didn't realize what I could do before. I do now." His amethyst eyes started glowing, golden flecks swirling in their depths. Maelstrom smirked again, looking at Yugi...before terror struck in her eyes. Unable to look away, Yugi walked closer to her.

"You killed Serenity." Maelstrom's right arm twisted, giving a sickening crunch. Yugi never looked away.

"You killed Duke." Maelstrom's left arm was ripped from the socket, hanging limply at her side. She screamed in pain.

"You killed Anzu." Maelstrom's face swung to the side like she had been slapped. Blood trickled from her mouth. She coughed in pain, terror starting to fill her eyes again.

"You killed Rebecca." Maelstrom's face swung to the other side, two claw marks appearing on her face. She spit blood.

"You killed Ravyn." Her head flew backwards, neck snapping painfully. She whimpered.

"You killed Mai." Maelstrom's left leg was ripped from her body, blood spewing a black, tarrish substance. An anguished scream left her lips.

"You killed Gramps." Yugi's eyes narrowed to slits. A thin, bloody line appeared on her neck. She gurgled.

"You killed so many other people." Her back snapped in half, and she slid to the ground, still unable to look away from Yugi.

"And...you killed my Yami." Letting out a roar of rage and pain, he looked at her, skin melting off of her face, exposing muscle, blood, and tissue, which slowly burned until all that was left was ash as she screamed a primal animal scream of unimaginable pain.

The battlefield went quiet as the demons were destroyed with Maelstrom. Yugi dropped to his knees, engulfed in the blackness.

Chapter 19: The Heroes Return

Yugi opened his bleary eyes. Ryou was looking down at him, worry on his face. "Yugi, you need to rest. You just expended an extreme amount of energy. Please, don't move." Yugi just stared up at Ryou. His brain wasn't working. Yami...Yami had just turned to ash in front of him. He rolled his head over and saw Joey, holding Joto, eyes red. Yugi's forehead wrinkled in confusion. Joey sniffed.

"He's gone, Yug'. Dumb bastard took da hit for me." Yugi just swallowed hard, closing his eyes.

"Red died as well as Akeifa." Damien said hollowly, Yugi hearing the pain through his closed lids.

 _Was it worth it? Was all this worth all that was lost?_

Yugi honestly didn't know anymore. He closed his eyes, letting the blackness consume him once more.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Waking up again, he was on a jet. Sitting up, he looked around at the faces. No one spoke. All were bloody and healing. The ninjas were quiet, sitting together, faces solemn. Hinata was leaning on Naruto, his arm around her. Sakura was sitting next to Sasuke, who was silent.

Snake was wrapping his wrist from some nasty cuts, cigar hanging from his mouth.

Kurasha was staring out the window, looking at the dark, her face empty. Tear tracks had dried on her face.

Damien sat next to Allea, who was sitting, looking lost. He was holding her like she was a boat adrift as she didn't even seem to notice the red haired angel next to her. She just kept staring at the floor, eyes rimmed red, holding her stomach.

Joey was holding Joto, bouncing her, tears leaking out sometimes.

Yugi looked at Ryou. Ryou was sitting next to Yugi, looking solemn. Yugi sighed. "I really fucked this up, huh?" He croaked out quietly. Ryou jerked at the noise. Turning to look at Yugi, Ryou smiled sadly.

"No...you didn't Yugi. Maelstrom is the cause of all this. These people all believe in the same thing you do..and the others did." Ryou's eyes were sad.

Yugi swallowed thickly. "I...I'm really sorry about Akeifa."

Ryou swallowed just as thickly. "It..It's done. I'm sure he's laughing right now at having beaten me at it this time." Eyes glassy, Ryou cleared his throat, looking down at his hands.

Nothing much else was said on the flight back to Domino.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Walking back into the Pyramid, silence reigned supreme. Honda walked up, eyes solemn. "We..uh...we kinda figured it out when a bunch of vampires turned to ash." Yugi stood, solemn. Honda handed over a packet of papers. "He..he wanted you to have the Pyramid."

Yugi's eyes filled with tears. Taking the papers, Ryou walked in, following the trail of people that came back...less than half of whom had left. Looking at the situation, he raised an eyebrow. "Yugi? What are you doing?"

Yugi looked at Ryou. "Uh..H..Honda was handing me some paperwork about the Pyramid."

Ryou smiled slightly. "Uh..Yugi...come with me." Yugi handed the papers back to Honda, motioning that he'd be right back. He followed Ryou quietly to the infirmary.

Once in the infirmary, Ryou started digging in his pouch. Yugi looked at Ryou in confusion. Ryou dug until he pulled out two vials filled with something gray. Smiling, he handed them to Yugi. Yugi looked down at the vials, then up at Ryou, a questioning look on his face.

Ryou smiled. "Yugi, you are Lord Osiris. You are basically, the best necromancer there is. One of a necromancer's abilities is resurrection. You needed some ash. I had cast unseen servants to follow our comrades and get ash. This is Seto and Yami's. Unfortunately...my research tells me that resurrection will not work on demons." Ryou swallowed visibly.

Yugi's heart went out to Ryou as he tried to keep his hammering heart in check. His chest was filled with butterflies and his hands started to shake. Looking to Ryou, he asked quietly..."What do I do?"

Ryou shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't know. Perhaps lay out the ashes on the table and go from there? How did you know to defeat Maelstrom?"

"I didn't." Yugi confessed. Sighing, he took a vial and dumped the ashes out on the table. Closing his eyes, he concentrated. "Which one is this?" he whispered.

"Seto." came the reply.

Yugi...didn't know what to do. He wanted Seto to come back to life. He willed Seto to do so...Hell, he commanded Seto to.

He sat there, in silence, for what seemed like forever. Finally...

"Where's my mutt?" he heard whispered. Eyes flying open, he looked down upon Seto's naked body, cut, hurt, and damaged, but very much alive. Yugi looked up at Ryou, who smiled.

Ryou cleared his throat "I'll go get him. Uhm...Seto...are you still a vampire?" Seto bared his fangs. "Ok, I'll get Joey and some bl...I'll get Joey." Ryou rushed out.

Yugi quickly took the other vial, dumping the contents on the table. He tried to do the same thing. He begged Yami to come back to him, he pleaded, he demanded, he commanded.

He didn't hear Joey come in. He didn't hear the ragged sobs coming out of Joey's mouth. And he didn't hear the lewd sucking as Seto drank from Joey, regaining his health.

All Yugi could hear was the blood in his ears as he wanted his Yami back.

Seto had quietly left with Joey at some point during this. Ryou had left. All that was left was Yugi...and a pile of ashes. Sobbing, crying, all he could see was those crimson eyes. "Please, please, please." He begged.

Silence. Nothing.

Yugi eventually fell asleep from exhaustion. Slumping in the chair he had pulled up, his head slumped on the table.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The next morning, Yugi felt something painful. He had slept wrong. His neck hurt. He sighed, as all the memories came back to him. Leaning back, stretching, he opened tired eyes and saw..nothing. Nothing! There were no ashes on the table. Fighting back tears he tried to figure out where the ashes went when suddenly from behind,

"Hello, Aibou...I've missed you."

Chapter 20: The Funeral

Yugi's eyes opened so wide. Slowly, so slowly, disbelieving eyes turned around to see crimson smiling, staring at him. Leaping from the chair, the chair falling and landing on its side, Yugi leapt into Yami's arms.

Yami smiled, holding Yugi so tight, smiling. "Ooof." He grunted as Yugi's full weight hit him.

Yugi grabbed Yami's head between his hands, planting little kisses all over his face. "Yami..." kiss "I" kiss "missed" kiss "you" kiss "so" kiss "much" kiss "I" kiss "thought" kiss "you" kiss "were" kiss "dead" kiss.

Yami smiled, capturing Yugi's lips with his own, slowing the kiss into a long, slow kiss. Pulling back, he smiled. "I was dead, Aibou. But you brought me back to you." He leaned over, kissing Yugi's nose. Yugi vowed to never be upset by that again.

Pulling back, Yugi looked up at Yami. "Don't ever leave me again."

Yami smirked pulling Yugi into a hug. "I may have to use the restroom, Aibou."

Yugi pouted, adorably.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Seto sighed. Joey was still holding his arm. He had missed his mutt and baby girl desperately, and he was thrilled to be back...well as thrilled as Seto Kaiba could be. But he liked space. And Joey was not letting go.

"Joey." Seto sighed. Joey looked up, honey staring at Seto.

"Sorry..it..it's just dat...why'd ya do it?" Joey's face was showing raw emotion.

Seto looked down at Joey, the vulnerability showing in Joey's face. Running a slim finger over Joey's cheekbone, Seto realized right then the enormity of what he did. Eyes sliding shut, he put his forehead onto Joey's.

"S...Seto?" Seto could hear Joey's voice, full of worry.

Clearing his throat which was painfully trying to close, Seto whispered, "I love you, Mutt. Is that so hard to understand?"

Joey looked at Seto. He sighed. Seto finally realized the price he truly paid...

Mokuba was gone. Forever.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The next few days were full of quiet, sad, confusion. Everyone was happy to see Yami back, a few were happy to see Seto back, but the Pyramid was closed for the time being. It didn't seem right to be a place of happiness, music, and laughing when so much had been lost.

Arrangements were made, at Yami & Seto's direction, for a large funeral ceremony. Pictures of all who had been lost since this began were blown up to 16x20 sizes and placed in the funeral in various arrangements. Flowers were set around, people asked, or were asked, to speak.

Finally, the day came. Yami looked at Yugi. Both were in dark suits, with dark shirts and ties. Eyes were large, and solemn. This was a day neither wanted to face, but both knew needed to be done. Hand in hand, they went to the funeral.

Seto was cooler than usual. Joey did not even fight when Seto laid out a suit for Joey. Uncomfortable as it was, he was going to be there for Seto. So he got in that ungodly expensively uncomfortable Armani suit and actually was able to look presentable. He put Joto in a simple little black dress with a bit of a tutu, pulling her hair up into two pigtails with black ribbons. Seto looked at Joey, and they left.

People had come from all around. The ninjas stayed, as did Snake. The Prowl was there, as well as the other local were animals. Pegasus stood quietly with his people, looking less outrageous than normal in a dark suit with a subdued salmon tie. Crowe and his bodyguards from America were in the back, along with so many other people that Yugi and Joey couldn't remember or perhaps, had never met, but assumed that were from over the globe. Yami may have been the first vampire, but it seemed that there were other strains as other vampires were there as well. Allea was sitting in the front row, Damien on one side of her, Ryou on the other. Kurasha was sitting quietly off to the side.

A young woman walked up to Kurasha with pale flowing hair and amber eyes. "Is this seat taken?" she whispered. Kurasha looked up and smiled politely, nodding her head no. The woman sat down next to Kurasha. "Tatsu, please don't say something embarrassing about me."

Kurasha's eyes went wide and she turned. "What did you just call me?" she asked quietly.

The woman smiled. "You heard me Tatsu. We dragons are magic...do you think a little doppelganger could keep me from you? We were fated to be together." A ring was slipped on Kurasha's finger.

Kurasha looked from the ring, to the woman, to the ring. Tears sprung to her eyes and she pulled the woman into a kiss. "Aeon...is that you?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "I would hope so, or I'm gonna get really pissed you are kissing someone else."

Kurasha smiled so huge, pulling Aeon to her, and then brought her face back to serious, as she was still very sad for all those who were lost.

Yami stood up behind the podium, looking up and out at the sea of faces. Sighing, his baritone rang clear. "Thank you all for coming. We are here today to pay our respects to our friends and family we have lost. We will begin."

Joey got up, going to the podium. Looking to Serenity's picture, his eyes started to redden. "Serenity was da best lil sis on da planet. She was always happy and kind. She always wanted me ta do my best, and be my best. Sis..." he turned and looked at Serenity's picture, "I'll keep tryin'...for ya. I love ya." Turning back, tears streaming down his face, he went and sat down, taking Joto from Seto.

Person after person got up, saying things about someone that was taken because of Maelstrom. Duke, Mai, Valon,

Rebecca, Ravyn, the list went on, and on...after a bit, there were only a few glaring names left...

Seto stood, walking to the podium. No one else would speak of him and do justice. Turning to the sea of faces, cold mask in place, Seto looked out. "Mokuba Kaiba was the most upbeat, positive little runt ever to come in existence. He could make someone smile with his infectious laugh. Mokuba was faithful, supporting me no matter what. Mokuba challenged anyone who spoke ill of me, however, Mokuba wasn't afraid to question me, in private, of course, when he felt that I was doing something wrong. Mokuba was always able to cheer me up. Mokie...will be missed." Emotion choked his voice as a tear slid down his cheek. Turning to Mokuba's picture, hand on Mokie's cheek, Seto raggedly whispered, "I love you, Mokie. Always." Turning back to the crowd, Seto quickly walked back to his seat, staring forward.

Yami stood, looking to Allea and Damien. Allea's eyes were lifeless as she sat next to Damien. Damien looked up at Yami, shaking his head no just slightly. Yami then looked at Ryou, who refused to meet his gaze. Sighing, he looked up. "There are two others we need to speak of. Two others we owe our lives to. Red and Akeifa."

"Sorry I'm late, but you don't need to mourn me." Came a rich, deep voice from the back.

 **Chapter 21: The Return**

The whole room was silent. Yami's eyes were large, a small smile on his lips.

Allea had her head down. At the voice, her eyes opened wider, her head slowly pulling up and turning around. Blinking several times, she rose slowly...and took off in a run towards the golden clad warrior in the back.

Reaching Red, she launched herself into his arms, kissing him. Clad in golden armor, a sword at his hip, he held her back, kissing her back just as fervently. From his back had sprouted large, golden wings. Allea was holding him around his neck, his face turning a shade of red from lack of oxygen. Tears streamed from her eyes, a smile lighting up her face. Red smiled back. Taking her hand, he went and stood by her chair, which was on the aisle so the funeral could proceed.

Yami's face became serious once more. "Akeifa. Akeifa was, in a word, complex. However, he was noble, whether he would like to be remembered as such or not." Looking at Ryou, tears quietly slipping from his chocolate colored eyes into his lap, Yami sighed in pain for his friend. "Akeifa gave the ultimate sacrifice, and for that we are forever grateful. Without his sacrifice..." he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat "Most of us would not be here." He looked at Yugi, who was staring up at him, eyes glassy. Seto had grabbed Joey's hand, squeezing it tightly.

The funeral ended. Beings milled around, nibbling on the refreshments, talking quietly, remembering the good times had with the fallen. Yami grabbed Yugi and headed over to Red and Allea where Damien already was.

Allea was holding on to Red in a death grip, a smile splitting her face. Yami walked up, holding out a hand to shake. Red smiled, shaking it back. Yami simply asked, "How?"

Red grinned. "The Council decided I would be better helping them than dead. I was strong, I was stubborn, and...I had put my life on the line twice, after all."

Damien frowned in confusion. "Yes, but both times were for Allea."

Red smirked. "Oh, yea...I forgot to mention. Allea, the Elders wanted me to give you a message..." Putting his hand on her back, powder blue wings sprouted. Allea looked up in confusion. Red grinned bigger. "Let's just say, I came back...on conditions..."

 _Red looked around him in confusion._

 _Where the hell was he?_

 _It was bright...really, really bright. Wait...hadn't he been here before? Ah, shit..._

 _Angels looked down on him. "Fuck me." He mumbled to himself._

 _He looked around. It was so very bright, and really, really clean. It was just like he remembered it._

 _An angel looked down on him. "Red. We have appreciated your sacrifice. We have brought you here to promote you to Archangel of War." The angels smiled in pleasure, awaiting their thanks for such a wonderful feat._

 _Red looked at them, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't sacrifice anything for you bastards."_

 _Surprised, looking more than slightly aggravated, mouth drawn in a thin line, the angel nodded. "Yes...well, in any event, we appreciate your sacrifice."_

 _Red looked at them. "I'm not accepting it."_

 _The angels looked like they just swallowed a lemon. "What?" The one talking to him hissed. "You don't have a choice...we've already revived you."_

 _"You heard me. I'm not accepting it. I don't sacrifice my life for sniveling, fickle bastards. Just because you revived me doesn't mean I have to follow you."_

 _"You owe us." The angel snarled._

 _Red sat up. Feeling his body, he could feel the power going through him. He was still just as powerful as before. He flexed his muscles. Red looked at them. "Nope._

 _The angels looked at each other._

 _Red stood. He saw a suit of golden armor sitting to the right. He walked over, looking at it. It looked his size._

 _He ran a finger over it, picking up the sword and swinging it, feeling its weight in his grip._

 _He heard the smirk in the voice. "Like it?"_

 _"Still not joining you bastards."_

 _Sighing heavily, Red heard the one grunt._

 _"Fine. Reinstate her on one condition..."_

 _Red turned, looking at them, raising an eyebrow._

 _"You become our archangel of war." There was no room for disagreement in the angel's face._

 _Red looked at them. "As long as she's here, I'll fight to protect her, with my life."_

 _The angel nodded. It was done._

Damien smirked. Finally, the Council had met it's match. Yami smiled as well.

Suddenly, Honda appeared by Yami. "Um...Master...there's someone who needs to see you..."

 **Chapter 22: Return to Normal**

The next few days were hard. The ninjas had left, as well as Allea, Red, and Damien. Both sets had sworn to come help if called upon. The Prowl moved out, now that the threat was gone. The dragons went back to Wyrm. Eventually, the Pyramid reopened, about a week after closing. Yami and Yugi slipped back into a fairly normal routine. Well, normal if you ignored the fact that Yugi was now a god. That was kind of hard to deal with at times, Yami admitted.

Seto and Joey were completely back to normal. There wasn't a day that went by where there wasn't some kind of bickering between the icy brunette and the fiery blonde. Yugi wanted to just look at the two and tell them to get a room...but they had one. That was just the way of their relationship, he supposed.

Ryou was quiet and withdrawn, keeping to himself. He stayed in the infirmary. He helped heal people. He just couldn't heal himself. When the lights went down and the people came out, he retired to his room with a good book. The light had left his eyes; he just seemed to be going through the motions. His best friend was now his bed. But sleep was a bitch, for it always brought the memories of those eyes...

Yami went about setting up new Vampire Lords in the territories, since, with his death, they had all kind of died. He had called upon Crowe, seeing if he knew anyone that wanted to relocate. There was a list. People...even undead people...still like to be in control of others. Crowe happily declined. He liked Cape. They had a lot of breweries. Beer is good. A vampire's metabolism is better.

Honda had helped to keep the place running. He was good at it. Yami noted that and gave him more responsibility. He wanted more time with Yugi. Honda also had met someone. Bringing him by Yami one night, he smiled. "Yami, I'd like you to meet Deeva. Deeva, Yami."

The dark haired boy with amber eyes smiled. "Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

Yami smiled. "Nice to meet you too. Hurt him, I kill you." Deeva blanched, nodding. Honda rolled his eyes and steered Deeva off.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into a month. Everything was slowly going back to normal...everything but Ryou. Yugi looked at Yami, worried.

"We need to do something for him." Yugi whined worriedly. Yami nodded in agreement.

"But what, Aibou? It's not like you can bring Akeifa back." He sighed.

"I don't know." Yugi growled in frustration. "But we gotta think of something. He's dying in front of our eyes!"

Yami nodded. He just didn't know what to do.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 _Ryou smiled. He was happy. Looking up, he saw Akeifa's dark eyes looking down at him._

 _"Key?" Ryou whispered._

 _"Hey, Lock." Akeifa smiled, kissing Ryou gently._

 _"I...I've missed you so much." Ryou whimpered._

 _"I know, Love...I know. I didn't want to leave you...but I couldn't let you die. I'd give my life to protect you." Akeifa leaned in again, kissing him deeply._

 _Ryou laid in Akeifa's arms, happy. This was the happiest dream he'd had in a month._

 _"So...you're back?" He smiled up._

 _Akeifa's eyes grew dark again. "No..Love...I'm not."_

 _Ryou felt tears fill his eyes. "Please..you can't come into my life then leave again. Please...don't leave me."_

 _Akeifa stood, disentangling himself from Ryou. "I'm sorry, love. Really..I am." He dissipated into mist._

 _Ryou reached out, trying to grab him, grabbing air._

 _Ryou took it back. This dream sucked._

Ryou woke up, eyes flying open. Looking around, he fumbled for the lamp. Flipping it on he looked around, hoping it was just a cruel joke...hoping that Akeifa was hiding in a corner, playing a joke. Seeing nothing in his room, he sighed and flipped off the light. Laying back down, he never did go back to sleep...

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"I cannot believe this. I am going insane. Are you going insane?" The man looked at the other man, who had his head in his hands.

"Yes, I am going insane. Do something, Aepthys."

The first man, named Aepthys growled and threw knives at the object of their insanity. The knives had no effect.

"Sextus, if I kill you, will you kill me?" Aepthys asked.

"Of course." Sextus grimaced. "Anything to escape this."

Both grabbed swords, ready to behead the other. Aepthys suddenly got a light in his eyes. "Wait a second...I think I may have just solved our problems...Give me 24 hours, I need to go find our long, lost buddy..."

 **Chapter 23: Annoyances**

Red looked at Allea, sleeping on the pillow of their bed. He smiled, running a finger down her cheek. She stirred, so slightly, but didn't awaken. He grinned again. He ran a finger down her nose. She scrunched her nose, rubbing it, and rolled over. He leaned over her neck...and then frowned. Someone was at their door. Sighing, he quietly got up, so as not to disturb Allea. Going to the door, he opened it right as the visitor was ready to knock. Eyes widening in surprise, he looked at his visitor. Walking out into the hallway, he quietly shut the door.

"Aepthys? What are you doing here?" Red looked confused.

Aepthys looked up, eyes pleading. "Red...you have to help us."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yami was in his office, typing quickly and efficiently on his laptop. Yugi was sitting in his lap, watching the club scene below. Yami kissed the top of Yugi's head, still lost in thought at the email he was trying to send. He sighed. He missed the days of the carrier pigeon sometimes...

Yugi stirred, sitting up. He saw someone he didn't think he'd see again for a while. Smiling, he tapped Yami. "Hey, Yami...Red's here." Yugi grinned big, hopping down and heading downstairs for the tall angel. Yami sighed, saving the email in the "Drafts" folder and following his shorter counterpart out.

Red was looking around. Upon seeing Yugi and Yami, his face broke open into a huge smile. "Just who I was looking for." Red grinned.

Yugi analyzed the giant's face, tentatively asking, "For something good, I hope?"

Red smiled and laughed a deep belly laugh. "Well, I don't know that I'd call it "good"...but it's not bad."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Ryou was in the infirmary. Joey walked in. "Hey, doc."

Ryou smiled kindly up at Joey. Dark circles were prevalent under his eyes. "Well, I don't know that I'd call myself a doctor...but I am a healer. How can I help you, Joey?"

Joey handed Joto to Ryou. "She's gotta cough. Fix her." Worried honey eyes studied the baby who looked like a four year old.

Ryou sighed and nodded. "Let's see, shall we sweetheart?" Joto looked over at him, coughing slightly. Nodding she grabbed some of Ryou's hair. She loved Ryou's hair.

Examining Joto, Ryou could see nothing wrong. Looking to Joey, he shrugged. "Sorry, Joey...I think she just has a bit of a cold or allergies. She is part mortal after all." Handing Joto back to Joey, Joey eyed Joto warily, sighing. Nodding, he turned to leave.

"It's about fucking bloody fucking time I got to come the fuck back here. I thought those twatwankers would never figure it the fuck out!" Joey jumped out of the way as the door was flung open, a very alive Akeifa standing there, cigarette in his mouth.

Ryou looked up, sighed, and looked back down. _Great, I can't even have a normal day without thinking of him._ Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as he went to changing the paper on the table.

"Well, fuck. I thought I'd get a better fucking hello than this." Akeifa growled. Joey smirked, smacking Akeifa on his back as he walked out with Joto. He didn't need to be here for the reunion. He'd find out what was going on later. And...he'd better tell Seto. Seto didn't like surprises...

Ryou just kept working on cleaning up. Akeifa watched with dark eyes as Ryou refused to acknowledge him. "What the fuck gives? Aren't ya glad to see me, Lock?" He asked, walking up to Ryou, putting a finger under Ryou's chin and lifting his face up. He dropped the cigarette on the ground, smashing it under foot on the clean tile.

Ryou looked up, eyes glassy. "Why won't you leave me alone? Why must you haunt my days, when you already haunt my nights? Can't I have a moment's peace?" Pleadingly, Ryou looked at Akeifa.

"SexyMe...I did everything in my fucking power to get back here. I'm not leaving now." Akeifa smirked.

Ryou gulped. Could...could it be? Could Akeifa really be back? He felt so...real. "Key...is it really you?" he whispered in a strangled voice.

"The one and fucking only!" Akeifa smirked. "Do you know it's really hard to get fucking tossed from the Underworld...but I managed to do it?" He chuckled.

Ryou's eyes were wide. He was scared...scared to believe this was true. "H...how?" He whispered.

Akeifa smirked. "Lock, I'm stubborn as fuck when I want to be. And I wanted to be. I missed you, you fucking uptight sexy tightass. And I fucking mean that. Your ass is tight." He waggled his eyebrows.

Turning a brilliant shade of crimson, Ryou cut his eyes to the ground. "Key..." he choked out.

Akeifa smirked. _I still fucking got it._ "Seriously, Ryou. I couldn't fucking die without you. I can't fucking live without you. The cumsucking twats wouldn't let me come back. Something about fucking "death is the ultimate" bullshit." Akeifa did air quotes and mimicked someone in a really bad Barney the Dinosaur impersonation.

Ryou had to laugh. Akeifa could always do that. Looking up, his chocolate eyes happy for the first time in a month, he smiled. "So, how are you back?"

Akeifa smirked. "I used my stellar fucking personality. And annoyed the Underworld until they kicked me the fuck out. Of course, there's no way in fuckdom Heaven would take me, which left me here. With you." And with that, he leaned over, gently kissing Ryou.

Ryou smiled up at Akeifa, tears leaking. "So...are you mortal then?"

Akeifa smirked. "Fuck yea, but just til I get one of these bloodbangers to bite my ass so I can be immortal. Then I'm gonna fuckin' bite you til you cum. I'm not losing you again." Akeifa's face turned serious for a moment. "I love ya Ryou. Always."

Ryou smiled up at the other half of his soul. "I love you too, Key." Leaning up, he kissed Akeifa gently.

After pulling back, Akeifa smiled at Ryou, tucking a piece of Ryou's hair behind his ear. The smile turned into a smirk. "Come on, I gotta get bit so I can bite you then we can have some fucking hot vamp sex." Grabbing Ryou's hand, he led him out the door in search of Yami.

 **Chapter 24: The End?**

It had been three months since the defeat of Maelstrom. Two months since Akeifa had returned. The Pyramid was pumping, music loud, lights flashing. Yami walked out into the club with Yugi, smiling down at his Aibou. A slow song started, and Yami pulled Yugi to him, into a slow embrace, each lost in the other's eyes. Near the end of the song "Aibou…" Yami started.

"Yes?" Yugi looked up, smiling.

"Go to the gardens with me? There's a new flower I want to show you. They match your eyes."

Yugi smiled happily, following his love to the gardens.

Upon getting there, Yami took Yugi to the flowers. Yugi sighed happily. "They are beautiful."

Yami smiled down. "I'm glad you like them Aibou. They are a special species, there are beautiful markings in the middle. Were you able to see those?"

Yugi frowned. "No. Here." He peered deeper at the flower, and then let out a small gasp. There, in the center of the flower, was a golden band. Yugi looked up at Yami..and realized that he had to look _down_ at Yami, as Yami had went down one knee.

"Yugi, would you do me the extreme honor of marrying me, letting me take care of you for the rest of eternity?" Yami's eyes looked up at Yugi in earnest.

Yugi leaned down, lips a breath from Yami's. "Do you need to even ask? We are already bound." He teased.

Yami smirked, pulling Yugi into a kiss, as he slipped the band on Yugi's finger, the word My Aibou engraved on the inside of the band.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Nope. I am not gonna be Joey Kaiba. _You_ can be Seto Wheeler." Joey bristled.

Seto just looked at Joey. "That is insane. Seto Wheeler sounds like a bad children's toy." Seto frowned.

"Yah, well, Joey Kaiba sounds like a..well, like a…two year old!" Joey huffed.

Seto just looked at Joey. "So, it's appropriate."

Joey huffed and took a swing at Seto, which Seto easily dodged. "Mutt…I don't care what name you go by. As long as you're mine." He pulled Joey into a deep kiss as Joto clapped.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"You know…I really don't like the taste of blood." Ryou was looking at Akeifa, fangs elongated.

Akeifa smirked. "Yea, but you like the aftereffects."

Ryou blushed. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Akeifa smirked. "You know that blood is like a fucking drug to me…and…I like the smell…and more than anything, I like to watch you sucking some fucking idiot's neck, knowing those lips are goin…"

"Yes, yes, I know, Key, please…" Ryou pleaded, face as crimson as the blood he just finished drinking.

Akeifa smirked, running a tongue over his fangs. "Alright SexyMe…now that we are both fucking sated, let's go back to the bedroom and fuck." Grabbing Ryou's hand, he headed off to the basement.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The slight blonde looked around. Sighing, she walked in. This was the first time she was truly alone. She had been alone before, but had never felt truly alone like she did right now. Looking around, eyes sad, she sat down in a booth in the corner of The Pyramid. Waiting. Alone.

Soon, her eyes saw what she was looking for. There. The tall brunette holding the toddler, listening to the mangy blonde talking to him. Eyes narrowing, she studied the scene. Anger filled her very being. So much so that she shook while trying to concentrate. Could she sense…

There. There it was. Small, so very small and slight. But it was definitely there. Maelstrom hadn't failed after all. She had sealed a part of her soul in that child. The blonde smiled. Maelstrom's death hadn't been in vain. There was still hope for a resurrection. It would just depend on if Maelstrom could grow and take over the baby…of if the baby was stronger than Maelstrom. Oh…it wouldn't be Maelstrom…there hadn't been enough infused in the child for Maelstrom to return. But, hopefully, it would be enough to taint the child's soul and turn her to the demons side. Luckily, it didn't seem that anyone knew of the being in the baby. Otherwise they would surely have placed a seal on the child.

Smiling, the blonde got up and walked out. There was no need to fear. She just needed to periodically check in and see on the child's growth. When the child hit puberty, it would be time to bring the child into the fold.


End file.
